A Look at Housing in Hong Kong

Hi everyone,

Before I get into house stuff, here's a quick recap of the past two weeks since school began.  Shannon is glad to be teaching 6th grade again, Josiah is in his second year of preschool, and Ava just started school! She was very eager to go to school like her big brother, and on the first day of school she held hands with another friend and walked right in.  The kids go to school every weekday for three hours and a lot of people have asked me what I do with my free time.  So far I've done exciting things such as laundry, washing the dishes, getting started on dinner, grocery shopping, and running errands. :P  It is nice though to have that time, and I am looking forward to seeing what else God will do this year during that time.

First Day of School!

We've lived in our new home for almost two months now, and we love it.  For those of you that don't know why we moved, the school Shannon works for provides on campus housing for the first year. After that, people look for a place to live.  One of the first things you learn when looking for places to live is that housing here is small and expensive.  Many people live in estates, which are groups of tall apartment buildings.  Some of the ones I've visited have amenities such as pools, landscaping maintenance, playgrounds or playrooms, and security guards. A typical apartment in our area costs about double what we paid to rent our condo back in Prospect Heights for half the space.  In real numbers, that would be around $2000/month for about 500 square feet of space.

Typical Estate

Out in the New Territories where we live, there is more space than on Hong Kong Island.  So here and in some other areas of Hong Kong you can find villages, which sound really funny when you've lived in an African village and associate that word to mean something completely different than what it means here.  A village in Hong Kong is basically a neighborhood cluster of three story apartments.  Typically a family lives on one floor, although bigger families may have two floors or even the whole house. Villages can be cheaper than estates because they're a little more rustic and don't have the amenities that the estates have.  However, they do tend to have more space than the estates for a lesser price.  We live on the middle floor and our place is the standard village apartment size, seven hundred square feet.

Our Home! We're on the middle floor where you see the washer and dryer

We live in a beautiful little village next to a mountain.  It's the coolest thing if you're from the flat lands of Illinois because even hills look like mountains to me!  We live at the end of the train line and it takes 10-15 minutes to walk to our village from the station.  We often find huge snails, toads, lizards, butterflies, and dog poop (there are lots of dogs and not a lot of pooper scoopers) on the way home.

Entrance to our village

Some days it's very sunny, other days it pours! The kids are walking to school from our village 

We are fortunate.  While our place may be considered small by some American standards, it's still big to some of our friends.  We have the space to host people at our place for get togethers and also to take them to neat places nearby like the ocean.  A couple weeks ago we invited the youth from our church over and showed them around our neighborhood.  Some of our friends live with their families in public housing estates, which are generally three hundred square feet.  So you can see why our place feels so spacious and why they enjoy hanging out here.  Well, and they love our kids too. :)

Having a "hot pot" night with some of the youth in our new home

Enjoying the little rocky beach by our home 

Our neighbors are also very friendly.  The first day we moved our new sets of keys were inside our new home, so we couldn't get in the main door downstairs.  One of our neighbors noticed our problem and told us she could call her friend who lives in our same building.  She then walked and took the train all the way and back from where her friend was (which was a half hour away) and brought her keys so that she could open the door for us.  It was such a kind gesture and made us feel so welcomed into our new home.

About a month ago Josiah and I took a walk and stumbled upon the beach in the picture above where we took our friends.  We saw lots of people digging for clams and crabs, as well as plenty of kite flyers.  When I asked a woman if we could see her catch, she not only showed us all these large crabs she had caught but then proceeded to dump five or six of them into a plastic bag for us to take home.  We declined (I didn't want to take her dinner!) but it was so sweet of her.  These are some of the wonderful interactions we've had in our new neighborhood and we look forward to getting to know our neighbors better.

Look at that catch!

A serious kite flyer with his little red kites, wooden knee pads to roll out his spool, and a chair so he can do it comfortably too

We live in an area with so much natural beauty, but there are other parts of Hong Kong where the housing situation is so bleak.  I thought some apartments I had seen here were really small until I read an article that opened my eyes to just how big the gap is between the poor and rich in Hong Kong.  I posted this article on my facebook page awhile back, and it's a must read if you don't know about the realities of Hong Kong housing.  Nobody should have to live in a "cage home" and I can't imagine living with my family in a tiny apartment that has been illegally subdivided to make it even smaller and still have to pay exorbitant rent for the minuscule size of the place.  

I was disheartened after reading that article but then I found out about a great organization called Hope of the City which partners with local organizations and churches to empower the disadvantaged and disenfranchised in Hong Kong.  I had the privilege of taking part in two of their programs this summer.  I taught a beginning English conversation class to a small group of elementary school kids in Sham Shui Po once a week at a local church.  My goal was to make English learning fun and to give the kids confidence to speak English.  I had a blast and the kids were enthusiastic learners. The summer program went so well that I'll continue to teach English twice a month at the church during their free after school homework help program beginning in September, when the local schools start up again.

Some of my students! Teresa, the lady behind the students, helped me with translation

I've also had the opportunity to meet an amazing family in Sham Shui Po through a different Hope of the City ministry called Adopt-A-Family that partners with another church in Sham Shui Po and the YWCA.  This church seeks to help families that aren't supported by other NGOs and are amongst the more needy in the low income bracket.  These families are on waiting lists to live in public housing estates, but the average wait is three years.  The purpose of this ministry is to show Christ's love and instill hope by extending friendship, care, respect, understanding, and support to the family.

A building in the neighborhood where I teach my English class

I had the chance to meet the family I was assigned to for the first time last month with three other volunteers.  The four of us will always visit the same family so that we can really develop meaningful relationships with them.  It was so wonderful to finally meet the family for the first time. The family consists of a middle aged man, his wife, their high school daughter, their elementary school daughter, and toddler son.  They live in a subdivided apartment that holds two bunk beds and just enough space to walk from the beds to the door.  It's easily half the size of my living room.  I don't want to dwell on the size of their place but it's very, very small for five people. The four of us were able to squeeze into their apartment by sitting on their beds.

While their place was tiny and cramped, their hearts were filled with joy.  I wasn't sure what to expect, especially since I don't speak Cantonese or Mandarin, but the husband and wife were just so happy to see us.  I spent the first couple minutes listening and asking people to translate conversations for me.  But then I was able to utilize one of the lessons I've learned from living in different countries.  You can always play with kids even if you don't speak the same language. :) I started to play peek a boo with their toddler, and he slowly overcame his shyness so that by the end of the evening we were able to see his smiles and laughter.  I slid over to the younger daughter's bed and noticed that she had checked out several books from the library.  She was very bright and eager to read with me, and I promised her on my next visit if she checked out more English books that I would gladly read them with her again.  They may have very little in material wealth, but they are very generous.  During our debriefing back at the church after our home visit, the pastor's wife shared how the wife sews clothes for others, even when they have very little themselves.  They began attending their church as the love of Jesus was shown to them, and the joy of knowing Him is just so evident on their faces.  I am blessed to have gained new friends and I can't wait to visit them again at the end of this month.     

This summer I definitely gained insight regarding housing in Hong Kong more than just a move from one place to another.  I really thank God for the opportunities I've had to meet people from all walks of life in Hong Kong.  Just the other day I heard about a great book called Where Children Sleep by James Mollison.  It's a book of photographs that shows how and where kids all around the world go to bed each night.  I plan on sharing pictures from this book with Josiah and Ava to give them some understanding of poverty, wealth, and the world around them in a way that they can comprehend.  You can see snippets from this book here.

It's been a year since we came to Hong Kong, and I have just been blown away by how God is always "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us..."  And so to Jesus be all the glory for this wonderful job that he's provided for Shannon, for a great school for the kids, for a home next to a mountain, and for bringing us to Hong Kong.  But more than these enormous blessings, I thank God for the incredible people he's put into our lives.  My prayer request for this year, especially as I have a little more time while the kids are in school, is "to make the most of every opportunity" (Eph 5:16) because I know that I am so dearly loved by Christ.  This summer was full of opportunity and each encounter, each friendship, and each lesson taught and learned from my new friends was a meaningful one.  I am humbled by the love that comes from being a part of the body of Christ, the joy that comes from loving others, the hardships that cause you to cry out for others, and the faith of people shown and demonstrated as a reminder to me each day that God is always, always at work.

Thank you for reading and for your prayers!  Please keep them up.  We are thankful for you too!

Summer Break Part One- Korea!

Hi all,

The summer has flown by and school will begin again this week.  Shannon had six weeks off from teaching for the summer and it was full of all kinds of blessings.  We spent the first week of summer break moving and settling into our new place, which we'll write about in another post.  Then we spent two weeks in Seoul, South Korea with my brother, his wife, and their two kids who flew all the way from Chicago to meet us there.  I took far more pictures than I should have and tried to scale it down to share with you what these weeks meant to us.  Here's a rambling recap of what we did during our time there. 


We explored Seoul neighborhoods and had fun at popular sights and attractions.    

Water fun at Grand Children's Park

Camel rides, courtesy of Aunt Katherine, in the zoo at Grand Children's Park

Namsan Park, an enormous public park full of greenery

In front of Seoul Animation Center and Cartoon Museum

Took a cable car to Namsan Tower, known for the "locks of love" that people leave here 

Early birthday fun at Lotte World, thanks to Uncle Charles and Aunt Sunny

At Oido Beach, where there were lots of tents but very few people wearing swimsuits

A walk along Han River in the evening

We enjoyed the history and culture of Seoul.  

The War Memorial of Korea, informative for adults and fun for kids

On Gyeongbokgyeong Palace grounds where we also found grass!

Peering out of an old traditional home, Gyeongbokgyeong Palace grounds

Learning how they transported things in the olden days at a folk museum

Playing dress up in traditional clothing, National Children's Museum

Pottery at the National Museum of Korea

Loved these truck sellers that would set up shop on the sidewalk and sell anything from fruit to jewelry

In the Insadon neighborhood, which had traditional souvenirs, antiques, calligraphy shops, and other folk art 

We savored the food.  Shannon wasn't so keen on eating at low tables where you have to sit on the floor and the sheer amount of red (which equals spicy) food he couldn't eat on the table.  But to me, the food was delicious and our family and friends generously treated us to yummy meals.  We also got to indulge in American food that we hadn't eaten in awhile because Seoul had a number of American restaurants that we don't have in Hong Kong.  

Koreans love their garlic, especially for kimchi! Taken at an outdoor market

This was the biggest basin of seafood and noodles I've ever seen.  We ate it at a restaurant by the beach and clearly ordered too much.

The low tables that gave Shannon so much trouble :P

Here's my favorite Korean sweet treat, called pat bing soo.  It consists of shaved ice, sweetened beans, and toppings such as ice cream and fruit.  So, so good on a hot, summer day

We got to catch up with old friends!

B

Out out of all these wonderful things we got to do, the best part of this trip was that we got to see these people and do all these fun things with them.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Charles, Sunny, Colette, and Remy.  The time you get to spend with family is pretty precious when you haven't seen them in a year.  The kids especially loved spending time with each other and picked up right where they left off with their silly games and laughter.

The most meaningful part of our trip was getting to see my grandmother, uncle, cousin, and other family members that I haven't seen in over ten years and that Shannon and the kids met for the first time.  My grandmother got emotional each time we saw her because she was so glad we came and valued this special time together.  I loved that I got to learn more about my grandmother, her childhood, and past.  My uncle enjoyed giving the kids rides on his shoulders and spoiled them with treats.  We made fun memories with my cousin and his family as the twelve of us packed together in a minivan for a day trip to the beach.  We got to know our family better and see how much we've changed and grown.  

Ava and Josiah meeting my grandmother and uncle for the first time

Dinner with some extended relatives on my mother's side

Get together with my mother's cousin and his family

Cousins, including Sunny's brother's daughter, piling up on Uncle Charles

Family picture with my cousin and brother's family

We are so thankful that we got to go to Seoul this summer.  I thank God for bringing us to Hong Kong all the more because we gained better opportunities to reconnect with old family and friends that are now much closer than they were.  The sights and attractions were a blast, but the memories made together with those we love were the most unforgettable parts of the trip.      

Part Two of our summer and some awesome stuff God has been doing will be coming soon!  Thanks for reading and for your prayers!

Customs, Traditions, and Holidays

Hi everyone,

It's been a long time since our last update, so bear with us as this is a long update with some interesting things that have been going on in our lives the past couple months.

In March, Shannon's good friend Kent and his wife Zenobia came for a visit.  Shannon had actually visited them in Taiwan over a January weekend to attend their wedding.  He experienced some traditional Chinese wedding traditions such as the wedding tea ceremony.  Zenobia wore a beautiful traditional red dress and served tea to Kent's parents.  Shannon was surprised to find out afterwards that this simple tradition signified that Kent and Zenobia were now a married couple!  There were also some other fun events during that wedding weekend that Shannon will hopefully have time to share in another post.  We loved spending time with them and being their first stop on their international honeymoon.

at a flower stall, paper offering bags on the left

At the beginning of April there was no school because of a public holiday called the Ching Ming Festival.  It's a day when people visit their ancestors' graves.  We decided to visit the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery because it's a well known religious tourist attraction close to our home that we hadn't visited yet.  There were many people out and about that morning as we got off the bus to walk up to the monastery, which is only a five minute walk from a busy shopping plaza.  Along the way to the monastery we noticed people buying flowers and large decorated paper bags at flower stalls.  I later found out that those bags are filled with paper, which people burn as offerings for their ancestors.  Supposedly, you can even purchase every day current objects such as paper cell phones to burn so that an ancestor can use in the afterlife.

Lots of people out and about that morning

We realized as we neared the monastery that the majority of the crowd was heading towards Po Fook Ancestoral Halls, which is located next to the monastery. The halls hold memorial plaques and ashes, and it explained why it was a popular place to gather that morning.  Policemen had closed off streets and were directing the crowds to control the long lines.  There were also many people heading to and leaving the monastery, but we didn't have to wait in line.
       

Once we started the uphill hike to the monastery, we immediately noticed the golden Arhan statues that lined both sides of the path.  The statues all had seemingly different poses and facial expressions.  At the top of the monastery we watched people bowing with incense sticks in front of a large temple.  From what I have read, people do this to purify themselves and they receive greater merit as they bow to Buddha in respect.

Gold Arhan Statues

Side of the temple

One of the few standing statues we saw

Main entrance to the temple

The inside of the main temple housed thousands of tiny Buddha statues which is where the monastery gets its name.  There are actually closer to 13,000 Buddhas that surround the walls from top to bottom. I didn't take any pictures since it's not allowed inside the temple.  It looked like each of them had a candle lit next to it, and I couldn't imagine how much work it would take to keep them all lit. We didn't go inside the temple, but I read later on that the body of the founder and constructor of the temple is actually embalmed, covered in gold, and displayed in a glass case inside.

Leaving offerings and food for ancestors

In the courtyard area outside of the temple, there were other small buildings that housed people's ashes.  There were rows and rows of small golden doors, and some of the doors that were open revealed a photograph of the deceased person.  Outside of the small buildings on a table people had brought offerings and gifts for their ancestors such as fruit and drinks.  In one of the rooms there was even a tray with an entire meal of rice, soup, and other small dishes.  Outside these buildings in a couple different areas were large fire pits where the paper offerings were burned for the ancestors.

Smoke from the main temple's fire pit 

Offerings being burned

   









Something that intrigued me was how this festival demonstrated the mixed beliefs of Buddhism and Chinese folk religion.  Buddhists believe in re-incarnation, so that when a person dies they are reborn as someone or something else.  Yet, during this festival time people were coming to the monastery to honor and worship their ancestors by bringing them items for the afterlife even though they wouldn't be there to receive them.  What I gained from these contrasting beliefs was that the holiday seems to be a mix of culture, tradition, and religion, even if it doesn't all coincide with each other.  I would love to have some more conversations with my Chinese friends about what they really believe and what holidays such as these mean to them.  I only got to have brief conversation with one of my friends about the holiday and she said that they always celebrate on a different day because there are too many crowds on that day!

The pagoda has golden Buddhas at each level in every window

I'm really glad that we had the opportunity to visit the monastery even though it was crowded because it was such an interesting cultural experience that we probably wouldn't have seen had we gone any other time of year.  Also, when we go to religious places of worship such as this temple, it helps me to learn more about the beliefs of other people here in Hong Kong.  And honestly, it makes me all the more thankful and grateful that the love and gift of salvation from Jesus is free and not something I've ever had to earn based on how good I am.  

I've read a lot more about Buddhism since coming here because it is part of the culture here.  I see Buddha statues in all different places, whether it be on a hike, outside of a restaurant, or on Hong Kong money.  One thing I have learned is that Buddhism is supposed to be more a way of living rather than a religion, and that Buddha himself did not claim to be a God.  But purely from an outside perspective, I have such a hard time really grasping and understanding whether or not that's really true for some followers of Buddhism.  We build statues all the time to respect and honor important figures.  But here, when I see Buddha statues, it looks more like a figure to worship than simply to respect.  If I simply respected a person and his philosophies, why would there be a need to make over 10,000 statues of them and put them all in one place?  I can understand one statue, I don't get ten thousand.  However, these are merely my observations.  I realize that what I say is one sided since I am a Christian, and I only know what I have seen and read.  I also have learned that Buddhism differs from place to place.  

As for the day to day stuff, Shannon has been very busy with school as the year begins to wrap up.  We have also been busy looking for a place to move into once school ends in June.  We actually just signed a lease yesterday morning, and will post more about the whole rental experience in another post.  I will say that renting a place to live in Hong Kong can be really different from the States.  Three weeks seems to be the general time frame for how much time people need to find a place to live, which seems extremely short to me!  However, landlords expect people to move quickly and may even ask a renter to pay extra if they want them to hold the place for them less than a month in advance.  We will be moving into a place that an ICS teacher and her family is moving out of.  We're excited and can't believe the school year is quickly coming to a close.  School ends in the middle of June and we will be moving out shortly thereafter.

Thanks for being patient with us if you've been wondering why it's taken us so long to update our blog.  It has been a busy season for us but that's no excuse.  We haven't forgotten you and as always, we appreciate your prayers!  Thanks for taking the time to read this post and for thinking of us.

Prayer Requests and Praises:
We thank God for...
- a new home that we'll be moving into in less than a month and the generosity of people that have donated some furniture to us
- a great school year. Shannon has really enjoyed being back in the classroom and loves teaching at ICS
- so many opportunities God has given us to reach out and build relationships with others.  This year I have met new friends on the train, bus, on the way to school, etc. God is good.  Sometimes relying solely on public transportation can be frustrating, but I see how much of a blessing it actually is! :)
- the opportunity we have to see my brother and his family this summer is Korea! We are looking forward to seeing them as well as my grandmother and other family members, especially since Shannon and the kids have never met them.
- you. Thank you for being a blessing to us with your words of encouragement and prayers

Please pray...
- for our new friends, that we would show them who Jesus is by loving them as He does
- for Shannon as he finishes the school year
- for our move, that it would go smoothly and that we would be a city on a hill to those that live around us in our new neighborhood
- as we have had new service opportunities come up to serve the community. I found out about a great organization called Hope of the City, and during the summer will be able to participate in serving low income families in Sham Shui Po. I will be teaching a four week English course to elementary school students and would appreciate your prayers as I plan the curriculum and for the students, that I would be a blessing to them.

I tend to post lots of pictures of nature and hiking on my facebook, and thought I would leave this post with a hike I got to do with friends in May.  It's by far the most beautiful hike I've been on.  It amazes me when I see the beauty of what God has created.  I can't do anything but stare in awe and want to keep singing, "Over the mountains and the sea, your river runs with love for me..." :)

Love,
SCJA