Year of the Lotus: Summer Time

Summer time in Hong Kong is extremely hot and humid with intense sunshine, almost suffocating heat, and bursts of heavy rainfall. Sweat, even dripping down your face and soaking your clothes sweat, is a normal part of summer life. The rain is refreshing but the unpredictable monsoon season means a huge downpour can happen anytime. We've been caught unprepared a few times. The rainfall also cleans the air and creates some absolutely beautiful picturesque moments. At Cade's soccer practice last night, I looked up in awe at the gorgeous green hills against the bright blue sky. It was breathtaking - I felt like I was in paradise!

Summer time in Hong Kong also means saying goodbye. For people living abroad, summer is also known as the expat exodus. Whether it's moving or a long, extended vacation to their native land, summer can be an emotional time of partings. Last summer, we said a temporary goodbye for our long vacation not knowing it would turn into a permanent goodbye with our late summer move. Cade, Abby, and Ian felt like they didn't really get to properly say goodbye to many school friends. It was hard!

This summer, Leah experienced how heart wrenching saying goodbye can be. Her best friend took a month long vacation to the United States. Although they had fun exchanging notes and gifts at the airport,

the Sunday before the girls were in tears knowing it'd be a long time before they saw each other again. They hugged and cried and hugged some more before parting. On the way home another friend quietly grabbed Leah's hand to comfort her. It was adorable!

Summer time means new activities and fun outings, especially with friends out of school and not on vacation. We recently spent a fun day with some good friends. We made homemade tortellinis and toffee.