My mom sent a box around 9th December from Illinois. It sat in Illinois for almost a month before it was shipped to Hong Kong.

The kids were so happy to finally get the box. My mom sends them all of their favorite things from the US. Cheezits, fruit snacks, poptarts, and fruity pebbles. There was other stuff as well.

These boxes mean so much to my monsters. There are certain things we can get here in Hong Kong that comes from the US, but much of it is specialty and needs to be purchased from US import shops.

There is one import shop in Central B and I had been to before, but it’s not easily accessible (especially from New Territories). There’s another import shop in Sai Kung. We have gone there a few times. Both shops are ridiculously expensive. Rightfully, so as this stuff is imported. None of this stuff is readily available in shops in Hong Kong.

Conversely, there are many things in Hong Kong shops we were miss if/when we return to the US.

I think because it comes from my mom, it makes it more special. Both for my kids (and me) and for my parents. My kids love that my mom does this for them. She does it a couple times a year (mostly for their birthdays and Christmas). I think it also gives my mom a connection to the kids. She has struggled with the separation, and with the pandemic, there is even more separation. We didn’t get to go home over the summer like we were supposed to. We didn’t get to go home from Christmas. I am not sure there is an end in sight with the pandemic right now.

My mom did send my favorite, Fruity Pebbles. I got myself a bowl before the kids ate it all. =]