Dispatches from Hong Kong: Part 5

A Star is Born

So, when I ended the last Dispatch we were in the office of the DCG talking about my classical voice background. He mentioned to me that the consulate was in a bit of a bind finding  singer for the upcoming 4th of July celebrations. While we had a contract with the 7th Fleet Band to come sing for us, they have a prohibition on singing the anthem when the anthem of the host nation is not also being sung. We had no singer for the Chinese anthem. So, as a result, they were uncomfortable singing the anthem and having a classically trained vocalist on staff was a sudden and elegant solution to the problem. As I previously mentioned, my plan for this summer is to say "yes" to everything I'm asked to do, so I suddenly found myself as the anthemist for both events.

More on that in a minute...

Later that week I had my meeting with the CG. He is a busy guy and I assumed that it'd just be a quick 10 minute "Hi/Bye" conversation but he gave me an hour of his time. It was tremendously generous of him. Fortunately I brought a notepad with me, because for that hour he hit me with 30 years of hard-won foreign service wisdom. He has offered to help advance my career in remarkable ways that I'm humbled and honored by. We're buds now.

One of the reasons I selected Hong Kong as my destination for the summer was all the activities they have for kids, namely Disney Land. And although it didn't work out that I could bring the family with me, I figured I might as well take in the sights while I was here. So, I made friends with the other interns in the office, Elizabeth and Sylar, and invited them on a Disney trip. Elizabeth has lived in Hong Kong her whole life and had never been, so we made a day of it. Anyone from Florida will note how small the park is compared with the park in Orlando. We walked the whole park in about a half-day. Being able to skip the long lines at the kiddie rides was obviously very helpful. There was an inverse relationship between the length of the line and the age group the ride was targeting. We waited 5 minutes to ride Space Mountain and the Winnie the Pooh ride had a 45 minute wait. No thanks!

As always, the best part of these type of days is getting to spend time with your friends. I enjoyed the day of getting to know Sylar and Elizabeth. They are very talented and smart people who grew up much differently than I did, its always exciting for me to learn about other cultures and ways of living. When its all said and done, I think getting to know them will be one of the highlights of my summer.

By the way, the snowman in some of these pics was a gift from my daughter. Since she couldn't come on this trip, Mr. Snowman is her representative. The goal is that when she sees pictures of him she knows I was thinking of her.

One unique feature of this park is that they have their own trains. The Disney Land park is tied into the metro system, so its really easy to get to. But when you change trains to get to the park, a special Mickey Mouse train comes to pick you up. It has Mickey Mouse shaped hand holders and plush, velvet seats that you might expect to find in a luxury hotel. Disney knows how to make an experience memorable; that is why their number 1.

The Disney Train. 

It was like you were going on a ride before you even got to the park. 

Elizabeth and I taking it all in. 

Sylar, Elizabeth and I trying out the selfie stick. Disney had announced they would be banned starting in a few days. We had to use it while we could. 

Naturally, I had a Baymax Burger for lunch. 

Many of the rides and themed areas were familiar, but this Toy Story world was a new one to me.

Can you find Mr. Snowman?

I took this picture to show the Dim Sum place. We don't have those at Disney in the States. 

They had a special Frozen exhibit that was only up for a few more days. There was a Frozen Wonderland Show and then afterwards you exited the show into the Arandelle Village they had created to look like the movie. We figured we'd go check it out... then we found out the line was 4 hours long! And you couldn't skip the show to go see the village, you had to do both. So, we opted not to wait that long. And as much as I wished my daughter could have been there to enjoy this day with me, at this moment I was grateful she was not. I would have been compelled to wait, which I would not have been happy about doing. So, this pic was as close as I got. Sorry, baby girl!

Before I knew it, the 4th of July parties were upon us. I spent everyday of the prior two weeks getting the anthem ready to go. The song isn't difficult for me to sing, much of singing is mental. You almost have to prove to your body that you can hit all these notes so that when you're performing it under stress, your muscles don't fight you and cause you to honk notes you'd otherwise hit.

The First party was in Macau. Like Hong Kong, Macau is  Special Administrative Region  (SAR) of China. So, while in Hong Kong I'm technically in China, they run their own customs enforcement. And the same is true in Macau, so I had to use my passport in and out, even though I never left China. Strange.

Our ferry ride to Macau. It was gliding on the water, hardly felt like we were in a boat. 

Mr. Snowman riding shotgun on the boat.

 The party in Macau was at the MGM Grand. It is easily the most opulent building I've ever been in. The doors were 4 stories tall, everything seemed to be made out of gold, the fish tank was bigger than your first apartment. Just an amazing place. The food was off the hook, as you might imagine. We had a great night.

The MGM. 

Mr. Golden Lion. 

That is a giant cylindrical fish tank that is 3-4 stories tall. 

This picture was taken indoors. Crazy.

This is where it was about to go down. 

Flower cake. 

 The anthem in Macau went really well. I didn't feel stressed and all the notes came out effortlessly. Once I was done with my bit, I was ready to party.

The spread was unbelievable. So much great stuff. I tried to have one of everything, but I couldn't do it. It was just too much.

Me and my buddy, CG Hart. 

The CG is a lot of fun. At the end of the night he was unhappy with the slow jams the DJ was spinning so he went and started telling him what to play. In this photo he had requested Cake's "Short Skirt, Long jacket" and we were jamming it together.

Now, Macau was fun. But that was only the dress rehearsal for the main event: the Hong Kong reception. There was about 100-200 people in the room for Macau. Hong Kong had an RSVP count of 750. I looked at the guest list. there were Consuls General from about 26 of the Consulates around town coming in addition to Hong Kong legislators and other  titans of industry. This was to be the most distinguished crowd I'd ever sing in front of.

On the night, my nerves reflected the heightened stakes. I felt to took me longer to get my breath as I sang the song and the high note didn't come out as well as it had in Macau, there was even a millisecond of terror during the song where I wasn't sure what the next line was, but it came out by pure muscle memory. All in all, I thought it went well and I am now officially a minor celebrity in the Consulate.

I was quite relieved to have this behind me. I never took the time to think about how it would reflect on me or the consulate if I didn't sing well. But after it was over I allowed those thoughts to roll around a bit. It was a gamble that could have backfired spectacularly. We've all seen the YouTube videos of people forgetting the words and it is just a train wreck. I could have crashed and burned hard, but I didn't, and I'm grateful.

The biggest complement paid to me was by CG Hart who spoke immediately after I was done singing. "Thats a U.S. Diplomat right there!" he exclaimed. "I've never met another diplomat who can do that, Jack. Thank you." Our photographer actually got that moment on camera, it made for a fun shot.

"Thats a U.S. Diplomat right there!"

At this party we had the 7th Fleet Band playing and we had some Marines do the color guard. They were the perfect touch.

Chatting with CG and the band before the event. CG comes from a Navy family, so he loves these guys. 

These guys rocked the house. They played a lot of popular tunes. Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, and the closer: All of Me by John Legend. 

Makin' contacts. 

"Good job, Jack."

Tau was the MC for the evening, so this was a shot of the Americans on stage for the night. 

The popular opinion of those in attendance was that I was going to be singing the anthem at every FOJ for the rest of my career. This one experience has been so overwhelmingly positive that I don't think that would be such a bad thing...

Dispatches from Hong Kong: Part 4

Finding my Groove

Now that I've finally gotten my sleep on schedule, I wanted to start some healthy habits during my time here in Hong Kong. As you've seen by now, my apartment here is at the top of a giant hill overlooking the sea. It turns out that there is a really beautiful promenade along the sea for people to walk or run along. So, I've started running down the hill and walking along it and climbing back up the hill as a exercise circuit. That climb sucks more than I can adequately express in words, but the walk along the sea is beautiful.

(First the night shots. I love the guy fishing in the pic on the left. The lights on that hill in the distance are the cable cars you can see from my balcony. The pic on the bottom is the dreaded staircase that you have to climb to get off the promenade. At the end of a run, you're in no mood. Trust me.)

 (Who's got it better than me?)

(Local graffiti)

After the first week in the office getting my bearings, I was determined to get out there and start making friendships in my second week. One of the better ideas instituted in the Foreign Service was the creation of the Community Liaison Office (CLO). The CLO's job is to help integrate people into the embassy community and to help them feel at home at post. You want to know what is fun to do in this town? You wanna know how to get your kids into the local schools? Ask the CLO. In addition to providing information, CLOs also organize group activities a couple of times a month to help tie people in. I had been getting the weekly CLO newsletter for a few months and I was excited to finally be able to partake. The first opportunity I had was a night at the race horse track. Happy Valley Race Track is an institution in Hong Kong. The environment is similar to a NBA game, but less music. Some people just come just to have a beer and hang out, others are there to gamble hard-core. I think only one guy in our group placed a bet, and one of his horses won. I have to admit, it is a lot more fun watching the races if you have some skin in the game, even if it your friend's money on the line. I met some really cool people and had some fun conversations. I've been surprised how few people in the service are aware of the Pickering Fellowship, so I've had to repeat my story quite a few times. It was on repeat on this night, but it was a good time.

(Prior to the race, they parade the participants out so you can get a good look at them before you bet on one.)

 (The main event. I was surprised how quiet they were going by. I expected more rumbling.)



In the middle of the proceedings a variety show of sorts broke out. The guy being interviewed below claimed to be an acclaimed designer who's worked with Madonna, P!nk, Usher and others. I'll take his word for it. Then these women came out and did a dance for us. A good time was had by all.

(my selfie-stick game is improving)

                                      

        (Madonna, you say? Ok....)

(Hong kong Skyline above the track)

                                      

 (This moment was popular with those in attendance.)

 As I mentioned in a previous Dispatch, this is transfer season in the Foreign Service. So, lots of tearful goodbyes are being shared. While you'll likely interact with the Americans again either in D.C. or abroad, the locals you've learned to love and rely on will likely never be seen again. It is a tough time. Our Public Affairs Chief, Nini, was rotating out and so on Friday we took her out to lunch to say goodbye. It was my second Dim Sum experience in Hong Kong and it was a great time.

(The Entrance)

(The whole office came, we need two large rounds to fit us all.)

                                      

(The fanciest chopsticks I'd ever seen.)

(The food was amazing and plentiful. I wanted to try one of everything, I barely did it. So much food...)

 (One of the most memorable dishes was the pigeon. He was delicious, tasted a bit like duck. As you can see, his head was still hanging around.)

 

(It was a bit awkward at first, but we were getting along by the end)

(We'll see you again soon, Nini. Travel well...)

On Saturday brought one of the great local Chinese traditions, the Dragon Boat Festival. The Thursday prior to the races we celebrated in the Consulate with a dumpling party.

(Dumplings in the middle of a workday? Yes, please. I finally met the CG at this party. He's the guy in a tie on the far right. He told me he was born in Jacksonville, FL. I accused him of lying to me. Not the most diplomatic response, but he has a good sense of humor. Duval Diplomats, baby!)

The tradition goes back centuries and is one of the most colorful events I've ever participated in. There were so many people on that beach, I didn't now it was possible to fit that many people on one. It was like a mosh pit that you couldn't get out of. This year the Consulate was fielding a Dragon Boat team called the Stars and Stripes that was going to compete in the races, so I was determined to go out and support them. When the team in Public Affairs heard that I was going they asked me if I'd take a camera and snap a few pics for our social media pages. So, when I got out there I was armed with a little camera and was ready to work. But when Tina--one of our consular officers turned Dragon Boat racers--saw my little camera she insisted that I use hers. She had a nice, professional camera with a medium range lens attached. I was now ready to do some serious damage. We were out on that beach from about 9am to 5pm and I took hundreds of shots, I'm proud of how they turned out.

(My photog career is off and running. Wearing my swim trunks turned out to be my best decision of the day. None of the other photographers could wade out as far as I could.)

 (Tina snapped a few pics of me before I took over the camera)

(This post went up on Facebook a few days after the event. Not only did I take all the pics, but I wrote the draft of the post as well, with CG's approval, obviously. My first Foreign Service publication.)

The CG was scheduled to give remarks to the gathered faithful on the beach and before he gave them he wandered over to the team tent to wish them luck. He gives out his personal CG coin to people at events for their service on behalf of the Consulate. He gave me a coin for serving as the photographer. It was a fun day. I got to make some new friends, take in a great cultural festival and cheer on my colleagues.

That next day was Father's Day. I obviously didn't have my kids with me, but Steph was kind enough to stash some cards from her and the kids in my luggage. I also got a dad t-shirt and hat, so I wore them as went out on a shopping adventure for the day.

(Father's Day swag)

(My new Dad hat)

The next week was a big week in the office. Before I got to HKG they started a contest called My American Dream. This year's theme was about food tourism. The contestants were asked to submit videos describing why they wanted to go to the U.S. and what food they wanted to try while they were there. It is a great contest to promote American tourism. We established partnerships with private-sector partners like Delta, Uniter, Marriott, and Uber to give the winners free flights, hotels and transportation in the States. I got to help with the logistics of the finals, the finalist were brought to our offices for interviews and scored. The even this week was the announcement of the winners. We had the event at the Hard Rock in Hong Kong and I was given some MC responsibility for the event. I think this Public Diplomacy work is going to suit me just fine...

(The spot.)

(The Room)

(The team getting ready to put in work.)

(CG Showed up and chatted for a bit. He actually immediately recognized my tie as an SIS tie. He said they gave him one when he spoke there once. Shout out to AU!!)

(MC Bisase)

(After the event was over the CG ordered a round of shots to celebrate the birthday of one of the officers. I saw this and ran over just after this pic was taken. So, yeah, I did shots with the CG. How is this my life?)

My third day in the office I got an email asking if I'd like to speak to a group of ethnic minority high school students about coding. "Sure", I said. "No problem." (One thing I decided I was going to do before I got here was agree to everything I was asked to do. "No" is not in my vocabulary this summer.)  Right now you're wondering "what does Jack know about coding?" Nothing. At least two weeks ago I didn't. One of the most valuable lessons of my grad school career was that I can learn a tremendous amount of information in a short period of time. So, given 2 weeks to work on it, I knew I could put together a good presentation. I didn't need to teach the kids how to code, mind you. I just had to talk to them about why it was a good skill to learn. So, I had my first speech in the Foreign Service. The kids had already had their finals, so they were a little checked out, which is to be expected (but begs the question: what is the point of school after finals? They call them 'finals' for a reason), but some were really engaged and I hope I reached a few of them.

So, I'm going to end this post on a cliffhanger.

Last week, on Monday, I had a meeting with the Deputy Consul General. It was just an introductory meeting, but we got to talking about my background. Through that conversation it came up that I studied classical voice in a former life. "Oh yeah?", he said, "we might be able to use you..."

Next time on Dispatches: a star is born...