The Last Tin Shui Wai Update

Sab and I celebrating Halloween at the school in 2004.

And so it is....

It's the last night here in Tin Shui Wai. The place i have called home since October 2004. Right now as i'm trying to stay awake after a heavy nights celebrating Sab and mines farewell i have come to the conclusion that even though Tin Shui Wai was out of the city, it was my world for nearly two years.

During my time here, surrounded by endless apartment towers, cranky pedestrians and the never ending smell of chicken feet some fantastic events shaped my life and here are my top five.

1. Martine - Not only did she make me feel so special and loved but she was (and still is) one of the most beautiful people i've ever met. The time we spent together was magical and i still miss her smile.

2. Jimmy Barnes Concert - Not only was this the best night i ever had in Hong Kong but getting a photo with the man himself was just mind blowing. The music, the food, the view from Victoria Peak plus the vibe was just amazing. Did i mention Sab and i got a photo with the Tin Lids?

3. Ability to Travel - Being so close to other countries have given me the opportunity to see some magical places (such as Halong Bay, Vietnam) tries delicious food (Little India, Kuala Lumpur) and meet some of the locals (the ladyboy who tried to pick me up one night on Koh Samui)

4. Friends - I have met some fantastic people here from all over the world and they have made my time here magical. Special mentions to Candace, Kate and Gary. You are three of the coolest and nicest people i have met and i hope we can stay in contact in the future. To the Chinese Teachers at the International Play School of Topkids, thank you from the bottom of my heart for being some of the most kindest, patient and happy people on the planet. Even though there are days where one or two of us are feeling down, we have stuck together and become great friends.

5. The Kids - On the rare occasions where i feel like i really don't want to be teaching, the kids at the kindergarten have made me feel the desire never to go back to working in a cubicle. The kids in my classes keep me on my toes all the time with their ability to amaze me and make a nothing day seem great. I have loved seeing the progress of my kids and watching them develop their own personalities has been the highlight for me. The lowlight - the stupid maths book we have to teach.

There are plenty more memories that have come my way in the past 21 months and the person i want to thank the most is Sab. We have been travelling around for over two years and we are still having a blast. Shes an amazing person and i'm lucky to have her as my friend and travel buddy.

I've written many emails from Tin Shui Wai and well as of this time tomorrow, my time in Hong Kong will have ended. So i'll end this one with this little thought. Being in such a mad mad city as Hong Kong has given me the chance to appreciate life a hell of a lot more. There is so much to see in this world and in a place like Hong Kong the experience of finding something new happens nearly every day.

I'm looking forward to a change of perspective but i want acknowledge the importance Hong Kong has played in my life...it's given me something to look forward to in the future and that is the confidence to find my own way in life wherever it takes me.

Thanks Tin Shui Wai

Hong Kong - My other "Island Home."

My Hong Kong "Gang of Four"

Landing in Hong Kong on the various times we have come back from adventures on holidays always filled me with a sence of coming back the "real world" that Sab and i had made for ourselves. This time around it was a completely different emotion that hijacked me, the feeling of sadness. Hong Kong is such a wonderful city and i had such a wonderful time in my 21 months there that even though my time in Hong Kong started to become a little monotnous for the few mon ths before we left, there is a magical pull that the city will have on me for the rest of my life.

In short, I love Hong Kong.

Landing at the airport this time around was certainly more exciting as Sab and i made our way back to the city to meet up with Kate who was nice enough to have us crash at her place for a few days. Kate is such a lovely friend and we were lucky that even with her apartment that was about as big as a phone box she still managed to find enough room for two of us and all the crap we carried in our bags as well, including my traditional Cambodian cow bell. Sab and i had to organise flights and also organise a way to get our boxes that were gathering dust at my Chinese co-teachers place in Tin Shui Wai. Sabs experience in the freight world automatically took me to the travel agent but that would wait for a couple of days.

Before we knew it we were back at the airport as Candace's boyfriend Gary was going back to "Ingerland" to study. They are such a lovely couple and it was sad seeing the two of them depart because even for me, they just seem so great together. Candace wasn't feeling the best naturally so Sab, Kate and myself went back to Candaces for a couple of drinks and just to be in each others company..i love that little group. Friday morning found us back in Tin Shui Wai and back at Topkids whereby we were greeted with nothing but smiles and hugs from the kids and the Chinese teachers. To quote Sab from her blog "It felt like a rockstars return to see the kids."

Two of the coolest kids in Tin Shui Wai. Matthew and his adorable little sister Savannah

That night i was invited to a BBQ (Chinese style) by a parent of one of the kids i taught and Sab got roped in as well. I enjoyed the night talking to the parents and finally being honest about what i thought of the school and of Hong Kong in general. In my mind i thought "Sab and i must have done something right as the kids and the parents love us." We were just ourselves or maybe we wanted the kids to be kids for a little while.

Karaoke is a central part of working with Chinese Teachers. Remember that.

Saturday took us out to Karaoke whereby we had a wonderful time with some of the Chinese teachers and it was topped off that night by drinks at my favourite funky bar in Hong Kong (Joyce is not Here - Peel Street - Central- on the Island) and then dinner at our favourite and some what sentimental restaurant Jaspas. This dinner (the gang of four again) was so wonderful and the feeling of leaving was starting to hit me that night. there was no time to get teary as Lan Kwai Fong was calling us for the last time and after seeing a couple of slighty tipsy Irish girls (Fiona and Nicola who we used to work with) it really topped off the night. The last time i saw Nicola was down Kho Sarn Road in Bangkok a few weeks earlier so it was just wonderful to see them again.

Sunday was pretty quiet as i had one last dinner with the family whose kids i used to tutor on Tuesday nights. The kids names are Sherman (the girl) and Herman (the boy) and the whole family fantastic. The mum is a hostess on Cathay and she just came back from Melbourne the day before with fresh lamb and cheeses from the Queen Vic Market so i was getting a taste of home in a satellite town in the outskirts of Honkers. They are my Hong Kong family and hopefully i'll be able to introduce my Hong Kong mum..shirly to my mum..Dana when Shirly flies into Melbourne next time.

Thanks to Candace she has got me onto "Little Britain" and just the three of us at her place that night (we moved to Candaces from Kates as Candace is closer to the airport) was just a really sweet way to spend our last night in Hong Kong. The next morning we were back at the airport for the third time in 5 days and off to Saigon. We flew out hoping one day we will get back there.