A Christmas in Snowy Harbin China

A Christmas in Snowy Harbin China

January 11, 2024
The Christmas holiday in Harbin was special for us. Years ago I lived in the Jilin province and had the opportunity to visit Harbin in the Summer time, but I had never been there in the winter. Tracy and I talked about joining a tour group and traveling somewhere for the Christmas holiday. Awhile later, she suggested going to Harbin. I liked the idea. Being from New York, I am used to cold in the winter time; the thought of having a white Christmas really appealed to me. Well, we had plenty of snow and we also had – 20…
Merry Christmas from Hong Kong

Merry Christmas from Hong Kong

December 16, 2023
Tracy and I don’t have any snow to offer you. It’s still warm over here. I went swimming at the beach this morning, but the water was a bit cold, still Merry Christmas. 2023 has been a meaningful year for us. In December of 2022, Tracy and I rededicated ourselves to each other. Then in 2023 we found employment, lost Tracy's parents, bought a car and more. We Stayed Together I wish I could tell you that everything in our relationship was smooth sailing after our reunion, but it has not been. We had already lived separately for 2 and…
Watoto’s Children’s Choir Sharing From Their Heart

Watoto’s Children’s Choir Sharing From Their Heart

December 16, 2023
Watoto is a ministry to orphans in Uganda Africa. They have more than 1000 orphans and more than 1000 staff. Their approach to raising kids is wholistic and worthy of being studied and implemented around the world, but up until 2 months ago Tracy and I knew very little about Watoto. It all started with an advertisement for a children's concert that Tracy had seen. My first impression was the excellence with which they performed. We found their music and testimonies to be very engaging. They were truly sharing from their hearts. Concert Video Clip Hosting After the concert we…
Stan’s Saw Mill

Stan’s Saw Mill

December 5, 2023
To say I was impressed is an under statement. Stan is a computer security expert, but he has a number of other hobbies and often volunteers his time to help out at the church. I knew he was interested in wood and I had seen pictures of old saw mills, but I really didn't expect a professional modern saw mill. I only brought an old Sony RX100iii. The recording is okay, but yeah if I had of know I would have brought a nicer camera.
Coffee Activities – Do You Really Want to Do Life in a Foreign Language?

Coffee Activities – Do You Really Want to Do Life in a Foreign Language?

November 21, 2023
Awhile back my wife told me that she got the luck draw in a raffle and that we were entitled to a free outing to TopMun Island. Tracy’s work decided to offer this activity to encourage colleagues to relax. They organized the boat ride, lunch, sharings, and coffee activity. I thought it sounded like a good opportunity. When Tracy and I arrived at Wong Shek Pier, the tour guide met us and introduced us to the others in the group. She wanted to know if I could speak Cantonese. I told her that I understood Cantonese and that if I…
Is my Cantonese Good Enough?

Is my Cantonese Good Enough?

November 21, 2023
The answer could be both yes and no. If you put in the effort you will undoubtedly learn useful words and expressions. Even a beginner can learn to say thank you and receive a smiling approval from a taxi driver. Language is all about connecting with others. Sometimes connecting with others is easy and for limited exchanges, your Cantonese might be enough. However, longer exchanges tend to be another matter. To answer the question, "Is my Cantonese good enough" we need to consider your expectations and other people's expectations. Recently, I heard a proverb - "Inch by inch life’s a…
Siem Reap Cambodia Stands Out For Amazing Temples

Siem Reap Cambodia Stands Out For Amazing Temples

October 27, 2023
Getting There and Getting Around Siem Reap, Cambodia is a hot spot for tourist. They used to have direct flights to it to make it easier for people to visit, but then Covid struck and the direct flights were cancelled. It was summer time 2023 when my wife and I visited. As a teacher, I still had summer holiday, but my wife could only get 7 days off. In order to make the most of our time, Tracy and I got off work on Friday, took an evening flight to Bangkok, slept in the airport and then took a short…
An Interview with a Cross Cultural Couple

An Interview with a Cross Cultural Couple

July 18, 2023
A few weeks ago my cousin Aaron, his wife Misha, and their 2 year old son Kide (It means Maple in Filipino) visited Tracy and I in Hong Kong. We had a great time together. I'm always curious about the role language plays in a cross cultural couples marriage, so I asked Aaron and Misha for an interview. They graciously accepted. Three key take aways from our talk are the importance of patience, Misha says Aaron is patient, the importance of having a vision, and thirdly being positive.
Can You Relate to Understanding Everything and Then Nothing?

Can You Relate to Understanding Everything and Then Nothing?

July 17, 2023
Have you ever been in a conversation with someone in English when a few others stepped into the room, and all of the sudden the channel was switched to another language, and you no longer understood what was going on? You go from understanding everything and then nothing. Well, if you have taught English as a second language in another culture, I’d being willing to bet that you have. How did you feel? How did you respond to it? It happens to me quite a bit. I think it’s a little bit like eating a meal with a person, but…
A Look at 4 Years of TWGH’s English Summer Camps

A Look at 4 Years of TWGH’s English Summer Camps

July 14, 2023
Growing up, Summer camp was extremely important to my development. I attended a variety of camps in middle school and in high school. Now as an English teacher in Hong Kong, I am happy to see students participating in TWGH's (Tung Wah Group Hospitals) English camps. TWGH is a large organization. All together there are 18 schools. Each school sends around 8 students, so that means there are approximately 150 students attending. Thankfully The Seventh Day Adventists Academy has been able to host the camp for many years now. In Hong Kong it is rare to see so much grass. Their campus…