Anywhere but Asia

"Baby do poo poo test," said the lady without batting an eyelash. Something she apparently says on a daily basis, but words I never thought I would hear, let alone have to perform several times over the next few weeks (cringe). There I was standing in the middle of Hong Kong airport surrounded by 10 large suitcases, 3 kids and 10 carry on bags and a 'poo poo' test kit in my hands (they don't do swab tests on babies/toddlers). Just a few months ago, my eyes glazed over as my husband droned on about office politics and changes within the organization. Little did I know that in less than a year, that mundane conversation would leave me swapping my morning runs in leafy Greenwich, London for the 'fragrant harbor' city of Hong Kong.

If you had told me ten years ago I would get married, move to London, become a mom of three kids and then relocate to Asia (and that too in the middle of a global pandemic!) I would have thought you were bonkers. Like actually lost your mind - why would I ever leave my carefree, blissful life in NYC with my family a hop skip and jump away for an unknown life across the ocean where the most famous food is fish and chips (I'm a veggie!). Yet, here I am ten years later sitting in a hotel room halfway across the world moving again - this time with 3 kids serving a 21 day hotel quarantine in a country whose most popular dish on google comes up as fish eggs. More about that later. Anyone who knows me well knows that while I've always loved travelling and used every opportunity to mark a country off my world map, change is not my cup of tea. Sounds odd I know given the amount of times I've moved not just homes, but countries, and added not just one, but 3 life altering additions to my world (mums you know what I'm talking about). But I like consistency and routine and the comfort of familiarity. My husband on the other hand, loves change and mixing it up. And mix it up he has - he's always ready for the next thing and much to my annoyance, constantly wants to map out 5 and 10 year plans. Asia was definitely NOT on my any year plan. I wasn't looking to move even further way from my family to an even more distant time zone. In fact, 'anywhere but Asia' was what I would say when he would jokingly say time for the next place. He is definitely the ying to my yang.

But never say never and keep an open mind is what the last ten years have taught me. I moved to London 10 years ago not so enthusiastically (my hubby will tell you that is an understatement) and yet within a few years I grew to love the city and country becoming 'British' was a lot more than just getting a passport. 'Mummy' became a lot more familiar to me than 'Mommy' and I even began to use words like 'rubbish' and 'pop out' and refer to my kids as 'cheeky'. My American side is still strong and I'm an active member of American Expat Moms in the UK, but now I've also joined British Mums in HK and find myself relating to both equally :)

Stay tuned to hear more about our Asia adventures!