{"id":927,"date":"2018-12-05T08:13:14","date_gmt":"2018-12-05T08:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sebetanne.co.uk\/hkblog\/?p=927"},"modified":"2019-01-08T09:36:18","modified_gmt":"2019-01-08T09:36:18","slug":"2018-11-november","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sebetanne.co.uk\/hkblog\/2018-11-november\/","title":{"rendered":"2018-11 – November"},"content":{"rendered":"

After the half-term, I’m trying to find a pace. I have 6 weeks with the same routine until the next holiday so I have a chance to finally settle. So I started a list (yes, I’m the queen of lists!) of my goals for the week and smaller lists for each day. It seems to work. I am generally more efficient. Even if there are days when I have no energy and I just play on my phone and watch TV. By the way, we took a subscription to Netflix (because Hong Kong TV is just rubbish) and I love it! I’ve watched the first season of The Crown (loved it) and I’m hooked to Jane The Virgin. The kids like it too, because all is free and they can watch loads of movies and cartoons. I also downloaded Spotify so now I am not alone in a silent home anymore (that’s less depressing!). But I digress… November, first week back after the holiday. I received the remaining furniture (a small shelf, a big shelf, a sideboard and a double bed for the guest room!). Now all is finally tidy, everything has a place and for the first time since we left Canary Wharf (in 2006), we have a guest bedroom with a double bed in it! Another achievement of November is that I finished (and received) the photo album for the second half of 2009. I am gradually catching up (only 9 years to go!).<\/p>\n

Apr\u00e8s les vacances, j’essaie de trouver une routine. Il y a 6 semaines avant les prochaines vacances donc j’ai une chance de me poser un peu. J’ai donc commenc\u00e9 \u00e0 faire une liste (oui, je suis la reine des listes !) de mes objectifs pour la semaine et des listes plus petites pour chaque jour. Cela semble fonctionner. Je suis g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement plus efficace. M\u00eame s’il y a des jours o\u00f9 je n’ai pas d’\u00e9nergie et que je joue simplement sur mon t\u00e9l\u00e9phone et regarde la t\u00e9l\u00e9vision. Au fait, nous nous sommes abonn\u00e9s \u00e0 Netflix (la t\u00e9l\u00e9vision \u00e0 Hong Kong est vraiment nulle) et j\u2019adore ! J’ai regard\u00e9 la premi\u00e8re saison de The Crown (super) et je suis accro \u00e0 Jane The Virgin. Les enfants adorent \u00e7a aussi, car tout est gratuit et ils peuvent regarder des tonnes de films et de dessins anim\u00e9s. J’ai aussi t\u00e9l\u00e9charg\u00e9 Spotify sur mon t\u00e9l\u00e9phone, la maison n\u2019est plus silencieuse (c’est moins d\u00e9primant !). Mais je m’\u00e9loigne du sujet … novembre, premi\u00e8re semaine apr\u00e8s les vacances. Nous avons re\u00e7u les derniers meubles (une petite \u00e9tag\u00e8re, une grande \u00e9tag\u00e8re, un buffet et un lit double pour la chambre d’amis !). Maintenant, tout est enfin rang\u00e9, tout a sa place et pour la premi\u00e8re fois depuis notre d\u00e9part de Canary Wharf (en 2006), nous avons une chambre d’amis avec un lit double ! Une autre r\u00e9ussite de novembre est que j’ai termin\u00e9 (et re\u00e7u) l’album photo du deuxi\u00e8me semestre de 2009. Je rattrape progressivement mon retard (plus que 9 ans \u00e0 faire !).<\/em><\/p>\n

A few other things that happened during November:<\/p>\n

Ce qui s’est pass\u00e9 en novembre :<\/em><\/p>\n

– We went to A&E with Alex (6th). Yes, a new thing that I’ve tried this month and I would have waited longer if I had a choice! Alex had a sharp pain in his left eye. At first I thought he just had something in his eye but as the pain increased and he started to feel sick, I started to panic. It was 9.30 pm, so we went to the nearest hospital where they had after hours doctors. It has to be noted that we went to a private hospital. Alex was seen by a GP who couldn’t see anything and advised that we see an ophthalmologist. So we waited for the doctor to arrive (around 30 mins) during which Alex vomited in the toilets. He was miserable, poor thing! We saw the doctor who did a thorough examination on both his eyes and identified a scratch on his left cornea. Apparently, that was what caused such pain. After getting Alex’s prescription and paying the consultations (a whopping HK$ 5,043!), we went back home. It was nearly midnight. On passing the threshold, Alex vomited a second time. He was exhausted and cold (thanks to the hospital air con). Sebastien helped him get ready to bed while I cleaned up the floor and Alex was finally in bed around 1 am. He was sick again an hour later in his bed. (Why did I make spinach and quinoa for diner????) I was so worried that he had something in his brain and that he would not wake up the following morning. But he was fine and feeling much better the following day. The pain had finally stopped. He was back to normal the following day after a day staying at home and resting.<\/p>\n

– J\u2019ai amen\u00e9 Alex aux urgences (le 6). Oui, une nouvelle exp\u00e9rience ce mois-ci et j’aurais pr\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9 attendre plus longtemps pour essayer ! Alex avait mal \u00e0 l’\u0153il gauche. Au d\u00e9but, je pensais qu’il avait juste quelque chose dans l’\u0153il. Mais la douleur a augment\u00e9 et il a commenc\u00e9 \u00e0 se sentir naus\u00e9eux. J\u2019ai commenc\u00e9 \u00e0 paniquer. Il \u00e9tait 21 h 30, nous sommes all\u00e9s \u00e0 l’h\u00f4pital le plus proche o\u00f9 il y avait des m\u00e9decins de garde. Il faut noter que nous sommes all\u00e9s dans un h\u00f4pital priv\u00e9. Un g\u00e9n\u00e9raliste a auscult\u00e9 Alex. Comme il n\u2019a rien trouv\u00e9 et nous a conseill\u00e9 de voir un ophtalmologiste. Nous avons attendu l’arriv\u00e9e de l\u2019ophtalmologiste (environ 30 minutes). Pendant ce temps-l\u00e0, Alex a vomi dans les toilettes. Il n\u2019\u00e9tait vraiment pas bien, pauvre chou ! L\u2019ophtalmologiste a auscult\u00e9 Alex sous toutes les coutures et a identifi\u00e9 une \u00e9gratignure sur la corn\u00e9e de son \u0153il gauche. Apparemment, c’\u00e9tait ce qui causait une telle douleur. Apr\u00e8s avoir obtenu la prescription et pay\u00e9 les consultations (5 053 HK $ !), nous sommes rentr\u00e9s \u00e0 la maison. Il \u00e9tait presque minuit. En franchissant le seuil, Alex vomit une seconde fois. Il \u00e9tait \u00e9puis\u00e9 et gel\u00e9 (merci la climatisation de l’h\u00f4pital !). S\u00e9bastien l’a aid\u00e9 \u00e0 se pr\u00e9parer au lit pendant que je nettoyais le sol. Alex s\u2019est finalement couch\u00e9 vers 1 heure du matin. Il a de nouveau vomi une heure plus tard dans son lit. (Pourquoi ai-je fait des \u00e9pinards et du quinoa pour le d\u00eener ????) J’\u00e9tais tellement inqui\u00e8te qu’il ait quelque chose dans la t\u00eate et qu’il ne se r\u00e9veille pas le lendemain matin que j\u2019ai tr\u00e8s mal dormi. Heureusement, le lendemain, il allait mieux. La douleur avait cess\u00e9. Il \u00e9tait en pleine forme le surlendemain, apr\u00e8s une journ\u00e9e pass\u00e9e \u00e0 la maison \u00e0 se reposer.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Alex after the drops to dilate his retina \/ Alex apr\u00e8s les gouttes pour dilater sa pupille<\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

– I did a long walk with Sarah (8th). Sarah, if you remember is the stranger I met in the cinema back in September and gave my number to. As it happens, we both like walking so we decide to meet to do one of the walks in my ‘Hiker’s Guide’: Churches of Central. We started from Pacific Place and we walked up and down to Mid-level. That was very interesting as it’s an area I don’t know very well. We saw a lot of churches and even the mosque. I didn’t want to look too touristy so I didn’t take any pictures but I should have. The day was beautiful and we had a great time.<\/p>\n

– J’ai fait une longue promenade avec Sarah (le 8). Si vous vous souvenez bien, j\u2019ai rencontr\u00e9 Sarah au cin\u00e9 et lui ai donn\u00e9 mon num\u00e9ro. Il se trouve que nous aimons tous les deux marcher et nous avons d\u00e9cid\u00e9 de nous rencontrer pour faire l\u2019une des promenades de mon \u00abGuide du randonneur\u00bb : \u00c9glises de Central. Nous sommes parties de Pacific Place et nous avons march\u00e9 pendant environ 3 heures (\u00e7a monte et \u00e7a descend !). C’\u00e9tait tr\u00e8s int\u00e9ressant car c’est un quartier que je ne connais pas tr\u00e8s bien. Nous avons vu beaucoup d’\u00e9glises et m\u00eame la mosqu\u00e9e. Je ne voulais pas faire trop touriste, alors je n’ai pris aucune photo, mais j’aurais d\u00fb. C\u2019\u00e9tait une belle journ\u00e9e et nous avons pass\u00e9 un bon moment.<\/em><\/p>\n

– We found a guitar teacher for Alex. At last, Alex can start again learning seriously. Alex’s new teacher is 23 and he’s part of a rock band. We go at his place in Quarry Bay. It is spooky. He lives in a ridiculously small flat with at least 3 other persons (Alex saw there were bunk beds in the bedrooms). It is good for Alex to see this. He realises that he is lucky to live where he is and that other people have different experiences in life. That forces also him to not just see those who have more than he has.<\/p>\n

– Nous avons trouv\u00e9 un prof de guitare pour Alex. Alex peut enfin recommencer \u00e0 apprendre s\u00e9rieusement. Le nouveau prof d’Alex a 23 ans et fait partie d’un groupe de rock. Nous allons chez lui \u00e0 Quarry Bay pour les cours. L\u2019endroit o\u00f9 il habite n\u2019est pas tr\u00e8s sympa. L\u2019appartement est minuscule et ils sont 4 \u00e0 y vivre. C’est bien qu\u2019Alex voit \u00e7a. Il se rend compte qu’il a de la chance de vivre l\u00e0 o\u00f9 il est et que d’autres personnes vivent des exp\u00e9riences diff\u00e9rentes. Cela l’oblige \u00e9galement \u00e0 ne pas voir que ceux qui ont plus que lui.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Alex in the corridor leading to his guitar lesson \/ Alex dans le couloir de l’immeuble de son prof de guitare<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>

– Sebastien and I went to a restaurant in Stanley Saturday evening, leaving Alex and Emilie at home alone (10th). Well, we were late so Emilie was not in bed when we left and we left the following instructions: no screen after dinner, Emilie in bed at 8 pm and Alex in bed at 9.30 pm. We came back around 9.45 pm and we found … Alex and Emilie in front of the TV! And Emilie said: “Alex forced me to stay up!” \ud83d\ude00 We had a very good evening in a nice and friendly restaurant and the children (almost) behaved so all good!<\/p>\n

– S\u00e9bastien et moi sommes all\u00e9s au restaurant \u00e0 Stanley samedi soir (le 10), laissant Alex et Emilie seuls \u00e0 la maison. Nous \u00e9tions en retard alors Emilie n’\u00e9tait pas encore au lit quand nous sommes partis et nous avons laiss\u00e9 les instructions suivantes : pas d’\u00e9cran apr\u00e8s le d\u00eener, Emilie au lit \u00e0 20 heures et Alex au lit \u00e0 21h30. Nous sommes revenus vers 21h45 et nous avons trouv\u00e9 … Alex et Emilie devant la t\u00e9l\u00e9 ! Et Emilie a dit: “Alex m’a forc\u00e9 \u00e0 rester debout !” \ud83d\ude00 Nous avons pass\u00e9 une tr\u00e8s bonne soir\u00e9e dans un restaurant agr\u00e9able et convivial et les enfants se sont (presque) comport\u00e9s comme il faut alors tout va bien !<\/em><\/p>\n

– Another diner party at home (17th). This time we invited Sebastien’s boss and his wife. They had been very friendly with Sebastien when he first arrived in June and we wanted to thank them. We had a very enjoyable evening. I wasn’t as stressed as I am generally when I am preparing for a diner party and all went very smoothly. The food was good (sorry to blow my own horn!) At one point they asked me how I liked Hong Kong now that I was settled. Very tricky question… Shall I go 100% honest (I feel alien, I feel lonely a lot, I have made a few friends but I ask myself “what am I doing here?” several times a week), or politically correct (It’s ok, I’m getting there)?<\/p>\n

– Des invit\u00e9s \u00e0 d\u00eener \u00e0 la maison (le 17). Cette fois, nous avons invit\u00e9 le patron de S\u00e9bastien et sa femme. Ils ont \u00e9t\u00e9 tr\u00e8s sympa avec S\u00e9bastien quand il est arriv\u00e9 en juin et nous voulions les remercier. Nous avons pass\u00e9 une soir\u00e9e tr\u00e8s agr\u00e9able. Je n\u2019\u00e9tais pas aussi stress\u00e9e que d\u2019habitude quand je pr\u00e9pare un d\u00eener et tout s’est tr\u00e8s bien pass\u00e9. Le repas \u00e9tait bon (pas tr\u00e8s modeste, mais vrai !) \u00c0 un moment, ils m’ont demand\u00e9 comment je trouvais Hong Kong maintenant apr\u00e8s quelques mois. Question difficile … Dois-je \u00eatre 100% honn\u00eate (je me sens seule, je me demande ce que je fais l\u00e0, je me suis fait quelques amies mais je ne me sens pas encore chez moi, loin de l\u00e0), ou politiquement correct (\u00e7a va , J’y arrive) ?<\/em><\/p>\n

– Walk in Tai Tam Country Park with Alex (17th) and Emilie (25th). Tai Tam Country Park is 2 bus stops away from our flat. It is a very easy walk. The view is lovely. Even if the weather was not great (it was raining quite a lot when we went with Emilie). I haven’t gone very far yet, but as it’s so close, I’ll go back for more!<\/p>\n

– Promenade dans le parc national de Tai Tam avec Alex (le 17) et Emilie (le 25). Tai Tam Country Park est \u00e0 2 arr\u00eats de bus de notre appartement. C’est une promenade tr\u00e8s facile. La vue est magnifique. M\u00eame si le temps n’\u00e9tait pas tr\u00e8s agr\u00e9able (il pleuvait pas mal quand nous y sommes all\u00e9es avec Emilie). Je ne suis pas encore all\u00e9e tr\u00e8s loin, mais comme c’est tout pr\u00e8s, j’y retournerai !<\/em><\/p>\n

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– Another walk with Sarah (29th). This time, we went from Deep Water Bay to Repulse Bay. It was much shorter but beautiful views on the sea. I found this very strange that there is no smell of sea. When I am in Brittany, I can smell the sea everywhere, all the time. Here, even in our flat that is in front of the sea, I do not smell the sea. Very odd. After Repulse Bay, I came back to Stanley and took a couple more pictures.<\/p>\n

– Une autre promenade avec Sarah (le 29). Cette fois, nous sommes all\u00e9s de Deep Water Bay \u00e0 Repulse Bay. C’\u00e9tait beaucoup plus court mais avec une belle vue sur la mer. Je trouve \u00e7a tr\u00e8s \u00e9trange qu’il n’y ait pas d’odeur de mer. Quand je suis en Bretagne, je sens la mer partout, tout le temps. Ici, m\u00eame dans notre appartement face \u00e0 la mer, je ne sens pas la mer. Tr\u00e8s \u00e9trange. Apr\u00e8s Repulse Bay, je suis revenue \u00e0 Stanley et j’ai pris quelques photos de plus.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Something that I noticed is that people love dogs here. There are so many dogs and pet shops. But dogs are always on leash. They never can run around. Even big dogs. It is not allowed to have dogs unleashed. A lot of helpers are employed only to walk the dogs.<\/p>\n

Ce que j’ai remarqu\u00e9, c’est que les gens aiment beaucoup les chiens ici. Il y a beaucoup de magasins de toilettage et d\u2019accessoires pour chiens et chats. Mais les chiens sont toujours en laisse. Ils ne peuvent jamais courir. M\u00eame les gros chiens. Ce doit \u00eatre interdit. Beaucoup d\u2019employ\u00e9s de maison ne sont l\u00e0 que pour sortir les chiens.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Very peaceful dogs \/ Des chiens tr\u00e8s sages<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alex, Emilie and I went to see The Crimes of Grindewald at the cinema. I didn’t realise that the  performance was in the VIP lounge, i.e. for twice the price, you have big seats and you are served at your seat during the movie. The kids liked that!<\/p>\n

Alex, Emilie et moi sommes all\u00e9s voir les crimes de Grindewald au cin\u00e9ma. Je ne savais pas que la s\u00e9ance se d\u00e9roulait dans le salon VIP, c\u2019est-\u00e0-dire que le prix est deux fois plus \u00e9lev\u00e9, vous avez de grands fauteuils et vous \u00eates servi \u00e0 votre place pendant le film. Les enfants ont ador\u00e9 !<\/em><\/p>\n

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I also wanted to mention that civilisation has reached Stanley: M&S Food has opened!<\/p>\n

Je voulais aussi mentionner que la civilisation est arriv\u00e9e \u00e0 Stanley: M & S Food est ouvert !<\/em><\/p>\n

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And the bonus picture: Emilie at the school Christmas fair in the disco:<\/p>\n

Et la photo bonus : Emilie \u00e0 la boum de la f\u00eate de No\u00ebl de l’\u00e9cole :<\/em><\/p>\n

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Groovy, baby!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

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