Our family had the opportunity to take our first, official vacation this past month. We decided to travel out to Hong Kong and fully explore the sights and flavors; something we didn’t really get to do on our previous visits there.
When the idea for a vacation first came up, we debated whether or not to travel during the short holiday. Here they celebrate Dragon Boat Festival, which gives most people a lovely four-day weekend. The timing didn’t seem ideal with our upcoming English Camp and various other responsibilities, but seeing as how this would be the last opportunity to do anything “big” as a family (at least for a while), we decided to take a much needed vacation.
Why HK? We originally wanted to travel somewhere within the country, but ultimately decided that it might be easier to travel out. During holidays, the sheer number of people traveling to and from hometowns and different provinces is incalculable. It’s nearly impossible to get a train/plane ticket to some of the more popular areas. We also didn’t want to take the chance that the pollution would be bad during the holiday. There’s never a guarantee that the air will be good, even during a holiday. Haddon and I had already been cooped up for several days leading up to the holiday and were antsy to get out. An added bonus was that we could spend time meeting up with friends there. We have friends who live within the country, but we never want to impose on their much needed time with family.
I’m personally not a big vacation person. It’s not that I don’t enjoy traveling or that I don’t see the need to take a break every once in a while, but it’s sometimes hard for me to see the purpose behind vacations. It takes me some time to actually decide if a vacation is “worthy”. What’s the point? Is it necessary? Do we have the means? Is this the best use of our resources? When I look at the book’s definition of rest, it’s far from sightseeing and stuffing our faces. A true sabbath is taking meaningful time to reflect and worship. There is a need for physical rest too. Family vacations are a great way to create lasting memories and to explore different places, cultures, and lifestyles. We really prayed and sought to ensure that our time away would be purposeful and honoring to Him. What we didn’t want was for us to go and seek enjoyment for our own selfish purposes. We wanted to use our time in a way that would strengthen our family bond and to further bond us to JC. I also wanted to take time away to focus on our family. It sounds weird, but even as a SAHM, I’ve been focusing a lot on our min and the work and haven’t had devoted time to think and yarp over our family.
Something I’ve come to see is that our family will be the only stable form of min work. Every other form of min work will likely change or evolve over time, especially here. I’ve grown to appreciate our family so much more. Undergoing all of these transitions can sometimes have a negative affect on families, but I think the changes and adjustments have helped us to depend on one another more and to truly appreciate the support we receive from one another. We’ve been learning what it means to truly depend on G and how to encourage one another in life’s many challenges.
We were able to take Haddon to Disneyland for the first time. He was really excited to see Mickey everywhere. They do a really good job of theming everything; you never have to question where you are. It was a lovely, humid 90°F. Thankfully we were dressed appropriately and brought two gigantic bottles of water with us. This park was much smaller than the one we are accustomed to in the states, but it was the perfect size for a one-day “tour” with a toddler. We got to see and do almost everything. Haddon loved riding on Orbitron and playing in the fake rocket steam. When we asked him about everything else, he simply responded “No, I don’t like it. It’s scary.” My only regret is not getting a Dole whip. Alex’s big regret was failing to make a reservation at the Chef Mickey Buffet. It was probably the best thing for our wallets and our waistlines.
Mickey everywhere you look. Mickey shaped windows, Mickey shaped handgrips in the tram, Mickey patterned compartments.
By His providence, we were able to meet up with a few old friends while we were there. We got to share meals with them and catch up on life. It’s so hard to find friends on this side of the world, so I’m always excited when someone happens to be visiting “nearby” or is able to stop by on the way to or from somewhere. We also gained the benefit of having unofficial tour guides. For someone like me who relies religiously on my GPS, it can be easy to get lost navigating a new place. In a place like HK, you sometimes end up on a different street than where you started without even realizing it.
Friends. Food. Fun!
Living in EA has created a major western food deficit in our lives. Although there are western food options here, they’re often not authentic. You end up eating something like a hamburger or like a hot dog. My first order of business was to map out all of the restaurants I wanted to try. After suffering through a grueling first trimester, having endured everything from morning sickness to just plain sickness, my body has been in desperate need of comfort food. My doctor actually told me that I needed to gain more weight or that I should be gaining more weight (probably a first and last in my life). We made it an aim to at least have a good burger, pizza, and the choice local fare. I went to bed every night sickly stuffed, but satisfied. I only partially regret it now.
Mango softserve, pineapple bun, egg tarts, HK style coffee, scrambled egg toast, pizza!
We were able to visit a local fellowship over the weekend. I spent time with H in the nursery room, but was able to strike up a conversation with another mom. It was nice exchanging stories about life as foreigners and the associated adjustments. It’s always interesting to see how other people live and how much life differs from country to country. Like our usual fellowship, they also met in a hotel, albeit a much nicer one. H was thrilled by the amount and variety of toys they had in the nursery. For the short time that I was able to be in the service, I appreciated hearing and singing songs I knew and also the friendliness of the members. We’re very thankful that we were in a place where we could still attend a weekly fellowship even while away from home.
We really enjoyed our trip and didn’t feel like we missed out on anything even though we didn’t get to all of the places we had planned. Our only road bump was getting back home. Because of inclement weather and a complicated air traffic control situation, our flight was delayed several times only to be cancelled at the end of the day. We were able to get the last flight home, but then were forced to wait on the plane (on the tarmac) for several hours. Extremely frustrating, extremely uncomfortable. Long story short, we endured the situation with as much grace as we could, and are pretty determined to get our money back.
Kids media area at the HK airport. So sad we didn’t discover the fun play area until a few hours later.
Despite the cumbersome return experience, we’re so grateful to have had the short time away to spend quality time with our family. This will be the last trip that H takes as an only child. I was never an only child, so I don’t know what the transition will be like for him. So far, he seems to love the baby. He says he will share his toys and his scooter/bike, but I’m not sure how generous he will actually be when the time comes. I’m not sure when our next family vacation will be, but I hope that we continue to grow in appreciation for the family He has given us and ultimately for the person of JC and all that He has done for us.