I don’t think I mentioned it earlier, but my wife was gone for work, leaving me and the little guy alone with one another all week.  That means we got to help each other overcome jetlag, adjust to the crazy heat and humidity, and the change from being around family and friends in Sweden to meeting new people all the time here.

The little guy did a good job the first few days, but last night was not his night or my night.  I think it was the last little “bump” before you are adjusted after traveling – neither of us was sleeping well, and we were both a bit cranky for the first half of the day.

The heat and humidity is still a major obstacle here.  It’s so oppressive, you don’t really feel like going out to do something.  For example today we were at Disneyland (that trip alone was unappealing but I gave my word to a new friend that I would go), and it was fairly miserable for me.  I don’t think it was for the little guy, because he seemed content most of the time, but for me it was just not fun because of the heat, humidity, sun, crowds, and noise – combined with not sleeping well.  So, I think I have a few more days until I am completely adjusted to the heat again, so that I’m not trying to bounce from one air conditioned place to another.  For the little guy, as long as I keep using the rechargeable fan that clips to the stroller, I keep blocking the sun from him, and I keep giving him water, he seems to be just fine.

Being “alone again” after being in Sweden is both a nice change and, as you can imagine, lonely.  It’s nice to go on my schedule, do things that I plan to do without worrying about anything else – but at the same time, it’s hard to be alone all the time when you are adjusting to so many other things.  And it’s a billion times harder to be alone when you are with a 9-month-old who wants you to be within touching distance at all times.  Imagine how fun it is to try going to the bathroom.

We also met and started to get to know a whole new group of people this week. One thing I love about spending this Pappa Leave time here in Hong Kong is that there are so many other people in a similar situation, most people are really open to meeting new people.  In Sweden, people are not thrust into a situation were they have a child and no friends, so they already have a network and are likely not nearly as interested in meeting new people.  

So, it has been really nice this week to stay busy, meet new friends, and get back into the groove – it has helped us get into a rhythm naturally that helps the little guy find the routines he needs – but I am looking forward to my wife being back now, so she can spend some time with her son and her husband, but also so I can have more than 2 seconds to myself 😉