The Harbourside
Last night was the first time since we moved to our new apartment that I slept soundly. I didn’t even notice that Wim has left for his work. When I woke up I panicked a little bit because I did not see him in the house. I forgot that he has to start working at 7 in the morning.
I chatted with my son Richard via Skype the other day and pleased that the technology could bridge the contact between parents and children who are separated thousands miles away. Hearing the voice of Richard and Michael soothes my spirit like a balm. I can empathize more than before with migrant workers who are separated from their own families now that I am in the same situation. It is not easy especially if the kids are still small. I am lucky that my boys are grownups now and I always assure myself that one day any way, they have to be on their own. Only in our case this time, it is the boys who are left behind in Gouda.
Wim and I have an appointment with the immigration office. We need to get our Hong Kong Residence identity card to legalize our stay in this country.
It is 11:20 am here and the view of the harbor is getting clearer. At 6:30 in the morning it was very misty. You cannot see anything not even the skyscrapers and the tall mountains behind. I have this eerie feeling – call it weird imagination – because I was imagining a horror film. I imagine the fog covering an old cemetery, the skyscrapers like tombs and mausoleums rising little by little from the mist. It is a depressing sight and I hope Kowloon morning is not like this every day during my stay.
Now that the view of the harbor is getting more visible, I am feeling better. I could see medium-size boats sailing and the silhouettes of the mountains.
We left the house at 12:15 and went to the Immigration office to apply for our Hong Kong resident ID. I want to get this ID because I have been held up three times at the airport. The first time was last February. For the first time in my life and in my many travels that I was asked to step out from the queue because the immigration officer is checking my passport. One incident is okay. When we flew back from the Philippines, the same thing happened. I was singled out. I asked for explanation but Wim stopped me that I should not complain. Why not? It is my right to know why I was singled out. After 15 minutes, I was allowed to enter. Then last April 1, the same thing happened again. This time I told Wim that he should keep quiet because I wanted to know this time why they have to double check my passport. The officer told me that there is another person named Leila Noel but they did not tell me more information. So this is the problem.
I want my HK ID before I will make another travel and I hope this time I will not be held up at the immigration office anymore. If yes, then I just have to admit that it is my destiny because in my new home country somewhere there is another person named Leila Noel.
After we arranged our immigration papers, we went to the bank to inquire why we cannot use our debit card. The tiny (thank God here in Hong Kong I am not the smallest anymore) Chinese lady welcomed us and told us right away that our funds in Euro and dollars were not transferred yet to our HK$ account. This explains why our payments via our debit card were rejected but her colleague did not tell us about this the last time we were in the bank.
April 8, 2008
For the first time I dared to go alone to the shopping centers. I was a bit nervous that I will not find my way back but it was a silly thought of course! I think I am just fooling myself to justify my lack of interest to go out. I am still in the state of denial that I am here in Hong Kong. I have to go over this childish reaction and get real.
I did some shopping and I found out that the rucola my favorite vegetable to mix with the green salad comes all the way from USA! The cleaning detergent is from Australia. This is an expensive grocery which is located in Elements, an expensive and trendy shopping center. Here you can find shops of top designers such as Valentino, Stella McCartney, Prada, D&G, Chanel, etc. My eyes popped to see a handbag with Euro 3,500 as price tag! It is dizzying and wondering if the shops could sell them and if they do, what kind of people will buy bags priced at Euro 3,500. It is really high time to find out the shops where local people go. The Ladies market at Temple Street is a haven for ordinary mortals like me who cannot afford to buy the original stuff. I have been to the Ladies market which opens from 4 pm up to midnight but I have not bought any item yet. Not yet!!!
Well, to get real, I need to follow up the concierge and impressed on them that they have really to send someone to check our washing machine and the gas range. I received a few phone calls and they promised that someone will come but only after the Easter break! Well, what can I do? I can’t be angry. The only think I have to do is to wait until I can use the washing machine.
We received invitation from the Dutch Embassy to attend the reception in connection with the Queen’s Day celebration. The event will be held at The Peak, is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, but locally as The Peak. Wim and I decided to attend. I think it is nice to meet the Dutch Consul and some of the Dutch expats. I learned that there are about 3,500 Dutch expats in Hong Kong and the Netherlands is one of the largest investors in this country. There are more than 100 Dutch companies operating in Hong Kong mostly engaged in finance, trading, transportation, wholesaling and retailing. This is significant indeed but understandable considering that the Netherlands had already established presence in Asia in the 16th and 17th centuries by colonizing through effective trading in some parts of Asia for 350 years.
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