Hong Kong is hot, humid, crowded and fabulous. I had first thought that this environment of high rise buildings would be no place to take four children used to playing outside most days. So off we went to check things out. We discovered homes in which children could be outside, not as we were used to with grass to run on and trees to climb, but different and just as exciting to them. There is a huge expatriate community on the Island of Hong Kong and surrounding areas. We all discovered that this city has much to offer.Many options are available to fill one’s time including various clubs offering classes on local customs, pearl stringing, the finer points on shopping for gems, carpets (specific regions and what the designs symbolize), antique shopping, (Tip: buy what you like--unless you’re an expert, it is difficult to know the real thing!), acupressure points, interior design and on childrens’ issues. Restaurants, Junk (Chinese boat) trips, trekking, biking, sailing, dragon boats and sports of all kinds are available to enjoy. One misconception of Hong Kong is the lack of outdoor areas. Country parks are scattered all about and one can walk the trails a good distance and never see anyone else, discovering great views, as you go, as well as a few wild creatures.There are many different International schools available. Our children attended HKIS (Hong Kong International School) with 2600 students. There were forty-nine nationalities represented one year. The HKIS community is strong, offering sport programs and festivals throughout the year. Volunteer opportunities within the school or elsewhere are endless. The Hong Kong people speak Cantonese and many also speak English, making it less of a need to learn the language. Since mainland China speaks mostly Mandarin, most Chinese language classes offered are in Mandarin. It is very interesting to hear and if you have children in HKIS they will learn Mandarin.If you need to get off the island for a while, there are many trips available at good rates. One can go in style or really rough it. One should always be prepared to have less than a typical one-star rating accommodation when traveling in some areas of Asia. However, we found these trips to be some of our most memorable and fun.

As we observe wherever we live, things are done differently from country to country; the opportunity to experience this in Hong Kong will always be special to me. By the way, if you ever live there and have children, hire the maid - it‘s cheaper than paying for baby sitters.