Soaking in the Shousun Hill view for the last time...
Week 10 came faster than I thought it would. At the beginning of the summer it seemed like a lifetime to be away from the family, but it really didn't feel that way in the end.
On the first day of my final week my high school bandmate, Jason, showed up in Hong Kong for a few days on the way to his brother's wedding. I got to share a meal with he and his girlfriend. Never thought I'd be sharing a meal with an old Jacksonville friend in Hong Kong, but life is a funny thing...
Work slowed down quite a bit in the final weeks. All the officers who were there when I arrived were gone by the time I left, so the transition forced us to reinvent the office flow, but by my final week I was able to get some quality work again. I had the opportunity to go with our Economic Section Chief to a meeting with interns at a local NGO to talk about international careers and I was also given an opportunity to run my first program. Typically this job wouldn't fall to an interns, but as the program was being put together in June, I was the only person in the meeting who would still be at post in August when the event was scheduled to happen.
The event was with some alumni from the Woman's Foundation's TEEN Program which is a program that helps underserved youth prepare for the next stage of their lives. So, we had about twenty kids aged 16-19 come to the Consulate. The program we put together started with a presentation on the work of a US mission abroad followed by Q and A. After that Bella helped me come up with games to play with the kids to help them practice their English language skills. Her background in education was really handy here. We started with the human pretzel game and charades as ice breakers and then we split them into 4 groups where we played Two Truths and a Lie and Head's Up. The day far exceeded my most optimistic expectations. Everyone had so much fun as evidenced by the photos.
Delivering opening remarks....
During Q and A the kids asked me about the significance of the flag...
Two Truths and a Lie...
Much laughter on this day...
Playing Head's Up. The kids had to, in English, describe the movie I'm holding up and the girl I'm standing behind has to guess what it is.
My favorite picture of the day. A kid born in mainland China picks up the American flag for the photo so he can literally wrap himself in it. Diplomacy doesn't get better than that.
At the end of my 9th week our colleagues threw a joint going-away party for Tau and I since we were leaving 4 days apart. I thought it fitting, the summer started with us sharing a birthday celebration, as you may recall...
Kristin bidding us farewell...
I got to supervise Tau for once...
"Thank you all, so much."
In my final weekly staff meeting our Information Officer/Spokeswoman Kristin surprised me with a certificate of appreciation for my work this summer. It was very unexpected and I was humbled to receive it. I think this Foreign Service business is going to suit me just fine...
"I'd like to thank the academy..."
The most memorable thing about this summer will be the friendships I made. It all started with Tau on the first day who was a great friend and mentor. The time I spent with Sylar and Elizabeth will always be precious as they showed me their country in a way no American could have. I made many friendships with other colleagues that I've talked about in prior posts, these relationships will last for a long time.
(Random interjection) This was easily the strangest thing I saw in Hong Kong. This show sold pictures with inspirational quotes, you'll note that above Aung San Suu Kyi, and in-between Mandela and Bruce Lee is a nugget of wisdom from one Adolph Hitler. It reads "I use emotion for the many and reserve reason for the few." O....K....
Even until the end, I was still collecting friends. Below is a picture of Katie and I, she is a friend of Bella's who came to visit. We hit it off immediately, I wish we had more time to hang out but I'm grateful that our paths crossed, at least for a time.
My summer would not have been the same without Alex as a part of it. My FSO mentor served with him in Doha and told me to make sure to meet him once we found out I was coming to HKG. Fortunately for me, he was my neighbor. When his wife and kids left for a few weeks on vacation, we got to be married bachelor buddies for a month. We share a passion for music that bonded us instantly. We even found time to make a little band we titled The Foggy Bottom Boys (a few of you will get that joke, I hope). We never got the courage to gig out, but we shot a few videos. The one below was one of the better ones. I hope to serve long enough to get to work for Alex in the future, that would be one amazing tour. Cheers, brother.
Dem Foggy Bottom Boyz
Those of you who've been reading the blog all summer will remember that I was the photographer for the Dragon Boat event at the end of June. Well, it was at that event that I first met Elaine. She ended up being the subject of more photos than anyone else that day because, as you'll soon see, she's one of the more photogenic people I've met. But to my shame, I never took the opportunity to hang out with her...until my last weekend. We ran into each other at an event during my last week and we talked about our common love of movies. She mentioned that she hasn't found anyone who likes to go to movies and that was all it took, date set! We went to go see Inside Out (Yes, it was great. No, I didn't cry; but it was close...) and we had a great time. Afterwards she took me to have Korean food for the first time in my life. I truly regret not getting more time in with her, but maybe fate will provide more opportunities in the future.
There was a giant Gundam robot in Times Square outside of the theater.
The last day in the office came and I didn't expect it to be very memorable, but I ended up being able to rack up some new experiences before I punched out for the last time. Our new IO, Kristen, and a couple other folks took me out to lunch at a great local place where they serve awesome roast goose. Do yourself a favor, get to Hong Kong one day and have the goose, it'll change your life! They gave me great Foreign Service life tips and even treated for ice cream after. Then it was time to say goodbye to everyone. The great thing about FSO goodbyes, however, is that there is a good chance you'll cross paths again. So, they're more like see-you-laters
Kristin and I in front of her Board of Wonder.
Goose!
What a wonderful bird...
So, my final weekend was fun and busy. Saturday the Foggy Bottom Boys had one last jam before going out with Elaine that night. Then Sunday I did some last minute shopping before I met my buddies for my last supper in Hong Kong. Sharing hot pot with Elizabeth and Sylar was the perfect way to go out.
Many people asked me during my last week "How was your time here in Hong Kong?" As I reflected on my answer to that question, I had to say I felt fulfilled. I did everything I came to do. I got to do lots of work that was important and took many different forms. I also got to learn a lot from colleagues who've been in the business for a long time, and I also got to make lots of new friends. At the end of my time there I felt like you do after a good meal where you ate enough but didn't overeat. I was anxious to get home to my family, however. Being apart from them for 10 weeks reinforced for me how much I love them and need them in my life. I was very excited to board the plane home on Monday...
Thanks to all of you who kept up with the Dispatches from Hong Kong. While this is the end of the series, the Duval Diplomat rages on. My Foreign Service career begins September 8th; no one knows what that future holds but I look forward to sharing the twists and turns with you all.
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