Homesick

The past week has been a very difficult one for me. Homesickness has hit me hard (much harder than I ever imagined), and it's gotten so bad that it is causing me to question my decision to come to Hong Kong.

There's no place like home...

I had no idea how difficult it would be to start a new life from scratch. To be homeless, own nothing, and navigate the bureaucracy of a foreign country is overwhelming and stressful. Add to that a longing for loved ones and familiarity of the United States, and it's easy to get lost in a depressing downward spiral. The latest pangs have been related to my housing decision. I chose the beach house 15 minutes from school instead of the flashy new condo 35 minutes away. Before I left for Hong Kong, I told myself I wanted something "built yesterday," but I didn't listen to myself. I chose location over amenities, and I wish I had listened to my gut. At least 14 months from now I can make a move to a new high rise.

Luckily, I have my family and some new friends who refuse to let me fail at this endeavor. I talk to my family in St. Louis at least twice a day and even though they keep telling me the same things over and over again (and they're probably tired of doing it), it's incredibly comforting to just vent my feeling and hear their voices. They assure me that these feelings will pass, and I will return to the quite pleasant reality of trying a new adventure in Hong Kong. I'm lucky, too, to have met some great new friends (fellow new HKIS teachers) who keep me busy and help me through the transition. We do all kinds of things together: trips to IKEA, dinner out, pizza and a movie in a hotel room, etc. Sometimes, simply having company and staying busy is the best defense against homesickness. Thank you Lindsey, Katy, Danielle and Paige!

Homesickness, too, brings into sharp focus the blessings of my "past life." The past eleven years at Chaminade (and in St. Louis) are some of the most precious of my life. My thoughts often turn to the familiar routines, and friendly faces, and the comfort of "home." It makes me sad to think that the familiar routines of CCP will be starting up soon without me.  My family, too, means more to me now than ever before. When they were 10 miles away, I was often too busy to make the trip to see them in person. Now that 7,000 miles separate us, I long for their company like never before.

This clearly isn't the happiest of times for me, but I am rational enough to know that these feelings will pass and my experience will be everything I hoped for. What's more, as much as I want these feelings to pass as quickly as possible, I also do not want to forget this stage of my transition. Two years from now or ten years from now when I make my next transition, I want to remind myself that change can be difficult and should not be entered into lightly.

I have no regrets. I will get past this. Hong Kong and HKIS will be one of the most glorious chapters of my life, but it's going to take some hard work to get there.

Whoever said anything worth doing is difficult sure was a genius.

Culture Shock & High Tea

I've spent five days in my new city. It has been quite a week. I've done a lot, but there's so much more to do.

The flight over was LONG (15:30) and arrived two hours late. It was 11:45 p.m. before I arrived at my hotel on Friday night. On Saturday morning my "orientation coordinator," Tammy, took me (and four others) to apply for identity cards, establish bank accounts, and set up cell phones. That was a mad dash around the city, but we got it all done in about 6 hours.

High Tea @ The Peninsula Hong Kong

On Sunday, I took time out from "becoming and expat" to enjoy afternoon tea at the infamous Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon. It's one of the grand traditions left over from 150 years of British rule.

There are about 15 new teachers at Hong Kong International School this year. All of us arrived within a few days of each other, and all of us are staying at the same hotel. Thus, I'm quickly meeting some new colleagues. I don't know if all of us will be life-long friends, but it's nice to have a support group and some people to help me through the transition period.

Of course, one of the major tasks was finding a place to live. On Monday, I met with 3 different realtors and saw about 20 apartments all over Hong Kong Island. While many were simply awful (small and dated), one realtor (named Joyce) came through. She showed me two great options. One was a brand new condo on the 36th floor of a skyscraper (30-40 minutes from school) and the other was a big, renovated one-bedroom townhouse on the beach (5-10 minutes from school). After much deliberation, I went with the beach house! I know how important it is to be close to school and it's in a great neighborhood. I'll send pictures as soon as I move in. I hope to get the keys to the place this weekend.

Since I settled on my place and signed the lease, I've been running around with my new colleagues trying to find furniture and household items. We went to an IKEA today, and it was a bit overwhelming. Starting from scratch means buying a lot. I'm just trying to focus on the necessities for now.

My task for the next few days is to get Internet and cable set up at the new place and get utilities transferred into my name. Beyond that, more furniture shopping and house set up is on the agenda. I start orientation next Thursday, so I'd like to get a lot done by then.

I sure miss everyone at home. I wobble back and forth between being excited and being scared. I hope that with a bit more time it will feel more comfortable. Once school starts, and I meet the kids, I think things will start to even out for me.

Until We Meet Again...

Here it is 10 days before my departure, and I've entered a prolonged period of "goodbyes." It's a bittersweet time, really; a time where I feel caught between the sadness of leaving behind so many good friends and feeling excitement for a new adventure.

A Fond Farewell from my 7th Grade All-Stars!

I feel very fortunate to have so many friends, young and old, who are making it a point to get together before the summer ends. From my neighbors to my colleagues to my former students; everyone is making one last effort to say, "Good luck," and it means more to me than they will ever know.

Some of the gatherings are very simple; a BBQ or a beer on the patio or down the street. Some are more elaborate like a lavish Bon Voyage / Retirement party thrown by a group of 6th grade parents. Just last night, and group of my favorite 7th grade students invited me out to dinner to wish me well.

I know that I'm going to meet all kinds of wonderful new people, but I wouldn't be human if I didn't feel sadness for all the people I'm leaving behind.

There are a lot of people to catch up with over the next 10 days; I want to spend as much time as possible with them (and my family, too). It's reassuring to know that St. Louis will always be "home" and I'm not telling them goodbye. I'm simply saying, "See you (much) later" or "Until we meet again..."

The Housing Collapse!

869 Dickson St., Kirkwood, MO

It was all going so well; too well, in fact!

The contract on my house fell last week, and I don't think I have ever been so frustrated, angry, sad, depressed, overwhelmed, etc.  It's a horrible feeling!

Originally, I thought I had the ideal buyers: a young couple with New Orleans roots who had a real love for the house. They agreed to buy all of the furniture with the house, too, making my move to Hong Kong even easier.

One week before closing, however, the buyer lost is job. That's terrible; it really is, and I feel sorry for him and his family. Consequently, he couldn't secure financing and therefore couldn't close on the house on June 27 as originally planned. My agent (who must be the greatest real estate agent in the world) came by to deliver the news on Monday; two days after I returned from Rome.

She explained that I had two options: let the buyers rent for a few months until they could purchase the house or put the house back on the market. She (and others) also suggested that I meet the buyer; get a sense of his character before I consider renting him the house. So I did...

Our meeting only lasted an hour, and while he seemed like a nice guy, down on his luck, he also struck me as a question mark. He was still searching for a job, was looking for an informal lease, didn't have any definite answers about the future, etc. In short, I wasn't comfortable allowing him to live in my house as long as I still owned it. (In fact, I didn't want to be a landlord in any shape or form).

When we broke the lease, the guy became angry and refused to sign the release of contract form until he got some of his earnest money back. With a bit of sympathy, I gave him some of the money back, but I kept my fair share. I had to pay the mortgage while the house went back on the market. I couldn't just be out two months of mortgage payments!

To make a long story short, the house went back on the market on Monday (June 24) and it sparked lots of interest right away. (Again, my agent is wonderful!) Within a week, a buyer made an offer and it's again under contract.

After what happened, I'm a bit hesitant to "count my eggs before they hatch," but I'm happy that someone is showing some serious interest. If all goes according to plan, I'll close at the end of July and finally be free to explore real estate in Hong Kong.