Making a Connection

It’s a small world after all. Today I met with my friend Tom and his wife. Tom and I met a few months ago; we are both ice hockey officials. Tom and his family lived in Hong Kong for 16 years, and they just moved back to St. Louis 18 months ago. His wife, as it turns out, taught at HKIS for many years! They invited me over to their house and we chatted for about two hours about life in Hong Kong and at HKIS. They shared a HKIS yearbook and gave me tons of practical tips about like in the big city. I’ll make it a point to meet with them again as I get closer to my move. 

Hong Kong Calling

Information has begun to flow out of HKIS! It’s really incredible! I’ve met my HR representative (Irene) and my future teaching partner, Jeff. I have traded e-mails with the two of them, and together they are making me feel very welcome, indeed!

I shared a Skype session with Jeff and the other members of the teaching team. They seem like a fine bunch of people, and they made HKIS sound great. I can’t wait to meet them in person and see how things are done overseas. Apparently, HKIS is big on standards-based assessment. That educational model is a bit different than the one I’m used to now, but I’m comfortable with it, and I’m looking forward to expanding my teaching skills.

Irene sent a folder full of important documents. I spent the better part of last Saturday afternoon filling out paperwork. Contract, work visa, home of record, housing allowance, insurance forms; a lot of ink was spilled on all. Completing the paperwork, however, made the move much more real. I’m as excited as ever to move to Hong Kong.

Good Morning, Vietnam!

I’ve spent the last few days in Hanoi, Vietnam on vacation. I had a great time with my dad and brother, of course, but I spent a lot of time thinking about Hong Kong. How could I not? HK is only 500 miles from Hanoi! It was fun to look at maps of Southeast Asia and know that it was going to be my new corner of the world.

Hanoi was a perfectly average city. It was made interesting by its congestion and historical quirkiness, but otherwise it was a drab and dull metropolis. The highlight was renting a motorbike and joining the pulsating hoards on the streets of the capital city.

The highlight of the trip was a two-day cruise through Ha Long Bay. Few places are more beautiful, and it was a great opportunity to bond with my dad for a few days. (Brother decided to stay in Hanoi and shop of tea. That’s a story for another time).

An Ad in the Newspaper

Last Friday, an ad came out in the newspaper. It was a classified ad for a middle school social studies teacher at Chaminade. It ran in a rather obscure newspaper in St. Louis, but it was only a matter of time before colleagues and parents connected the dots and learned that I was leaving.

I almost made it through Parent-Teacher Conferences yesterday without breaking the news. Near the end of the day, a colleague’s wife (and 6^th grade parent) asked me, “Are you leaving Chaminade?” Of course, I had to tell her the truth. I’m sure she won’t tell anyone, but the first domino has fallen.