Book of the week–Petals from the Sky

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This week I read Mingmei Yip’s beautiful novel, Petals from the Sky (Kensington Books, 2010). I felt drawn to her book before I even opened it. She’d taught at my graduate school alma mater, The Chinese University of Hong, and now lives in New York, my favorite city in the US.

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To pack or not to pack

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In my posts from last week, I wore the same lavender skirt in several of the photos spanning my first year in Hong Kong. Yes, I traveled lightly when I moved to Hong Kong.

“People in Hong Kong dress up,” my mom warned. She was going on memory from her last time there in ’65, [...]

Teaching in Taikoo

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It’s Saturday morning again. I don’t know if it’s just me, but these weeks seem to fly, especially as the summer comes to an end. Or maybe I’m just getting old.

To round out my week of looking back at my stay in Hong Kong 20 years ago, I remember how [...]

Book of the week–Hong Kong

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Hong Kong by Jan Morris

My 1990 Hong Kong retrospective wouldn’t be complete without a book review. While I didn’t read Jan Morris’s Hong Kong (Vintage, 1997) this week, I did read an earlier version back in 1990.

For anyone who’s been to Hong Kong or who wants to learn more about it, Morris’s [...]

Hostel life, 1990-1991

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When I moved to Hong Kong 20 years ago, I had good joss.

It can be scary to live with strangers, especially when you come from different backgrounds and countries.

During my first few days at the Chinese University in 1990, I was paired with another American exchange student, sharing a [...]