Goodbye, Hong Kong

We aren't actually flying out for 3 more days, but the movers are coming first thing in the morning and the computer will be first to go. I must say my goodbyes now.

Goodbye Saturday morning Peng Chau basketball.
Goodbye Sunday afternoon beach volleyball.
Goodbye sand flies and mosquitoes.
Goodbye Discovery Bay, Plaza, Discovery Bay International School, and the clubs.
Goodbye Discovery Bay International Community Church and the X-Treme Sunday school class that we have taught for 3 years.
Goodbye and good riddance, Park N Shop.
Goodbye Seahorse Lane and Headland Drive.
Goodbye Mom2Mom group.
Goodbye LoWu, jade market, The Lanes, WanChai, and all my other fabulous shopping spots.
Goodbye to my live-in helper and 3 years of not cooking, cleaning, scrubbing a toilet, or ever having to worry about hiring a babysitter. (I know, I can hear the snickers and snide remarks all the way across the pond)
Goodbye to Melvis at Good Luck Malaysian in LanKwaiFong (and goodbye Roti Canai and Happy Foot)
Goodbye to fabulous holidays in Asia.
Goodbye to our daughter's birthplace.
Goodbye to our cherished friends in Hong Kong.

I could go on and on, but I will stop because it's making me sad! It is a bittersweet time for us. We are so excited and ready to move back to America and be close to our family again, but this experience has changed us and shaped us in ways that we never could have imagined from our former lives in America. I'm not exactly sure how all of these changes and experiences will translate back into our new life in America, and I would be lying if I said I didn't have some fears about fitting back in. We've heard that it is harder to repatriate than it is to expatriate. I have a hard time believing that it could be harder moving back to my home than it was moving to China, but I know it will not come without its challenges. So be patient with me if I fill my cart at Walmart with a year's supply of CoffeeMate and Benedryl. Have mercy on me when I'm trying to juggle cleaning, 3 kids, making dinner, shopping, having a dog again, driving, and all the things I used to do but haven't done in a while. And just smack me if I am constantly referring to Hong Kong. It's just that my daily life is here now, and it may take some time to readjust to a new normal. Must get to packing now. See you all in a few days (that feels good!).