DELIGHTFUL SETTLING IN STORIES

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I’ve been involved with so many exciting people and events since my last blog. I will relate a few of them here. But, for those of you who I will visit when coming home, be assured that I have many more to tell, should you be interested. I hope that some of the joy I’ve experienced resonates with you as you share my stories with me.

Someone to Talk to

A few weeks ago I had lunch with an American who has lived in Hong Kong for the past 21 years. I related my inner struggles with holding in so much frustration about how I’m treated as a blind woman in Asia. My friend, Mark, encouraged me to be as assertive as I am at home. He reminded me that Americans are known for their directness here, so people, thankfully, are prepared for such brusque behavior. I haven’t implemented his suggestion yet. But, just knowing that I can, when it is deemed necessary, has given me such peace. Therefore, I’ve decided that the second half of my Fulbright experience will be different. The self-confident, relatively cheerful person that many of you know from the States has emerged in Hong Kong. I’m ready to have fun and to mainly associate with those who believe in my abilities!
[Special Education Conference Bring hope and New Colleagues
An international special education conference came to the University of Hong Kong in early June. I presented a paper, along with Dr. Lian, about the American transition from high school to adult life for students with disabilities. The session was relatively well attended, and stimulating discussion ensued afterwards. I was encouraged to learn that parents in Hong Kong are starting to advocate for the educational rights of their kids with disabilities. I had the distinct honor of serving as Master of Ceremonies for the opening reception for the conference. I learned how to say cheers in Cantonese and Mandarin for the occasion.
Two of the plenary speakers were especially impressive in my estimation. Dr. Levin LIM, an Associate Professor in Early Childhood and Special Needs Education at the National Institute of Education ( NIE) in Singapore impressed me as someone who keenly understands the importance of working within Asian systems to restructure services and change attitudes about disability. Since my goals are so similar to his, I hope to meet up with him this week when I travel to Singapore for further discussion. Dr. Yong-wook KIM is the Director General of the Korea Institute of Special Education (KISE) in South Korea. His team of researchers are doing fabulous work related to inclusion of students with significant disabilities into primary classrooms. How refreshing I find these colleagues’ ways of thinking and doing!

Friends!

I’d like to take a moment to tell you about one of the most supportive friends I’ve made while in Hong Kong. Hazel Chang is a business woman, a wife, and a mother. Her son Steven is hard of hearing and attends regular school. Hazel has asked me to tutor Steven in English conversation. Since I’ve never taught children before, I find this experience challenging and rewarding. Speaking of serving as an English instructor, I’ve also begun work with a ten-year-old boy with learning disabilities. How ironic that my special education training is being tested in Hong Kong.
In a previous blog posting I wrote about my evening at the Jockey Club with Hazel and her family. We have had many lovely times since then. Two weeks ago I was invited to the U.S. Consul General’s residence for a goodbye party for Richard Stites. As many of you may recall, Richard Stites is the Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong. In a few weeks he will take up a new assignment in Brasilia. I am sad to see him go, for he has been nothing but supportive since my arrival in Hong Kong.
Having never been to a mansion before, I was awed by the opportunity to attend the party for Richard Stites. Hazel graciously agreed to accompany me, and we had a lovely time. One of the difficulties in living in a foreign country is that one’s status in one’s home country rarely equals that of one in the host country. But, for two hours that night, I felt comfortable again! Instead of standing alone in a crowd, many people sought me out. And, the people who talked to me understood my interpersonal struggles with encountering discrimination here. The people I met at the Consul General’s home treated me as a colleague, not a blind person deserving of their pity. I reveled in the comfort that came from feeling alive again!
Just this past Friday night, Hazel invited me to participate in a seafood feast with her family and a principal of a school for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The principal also brought her 93-year-old mother along. How I wish I could speak her mother’s language to hear her reminiscences about escaping from mainland China to Macau during World War II.
Amy, the school principal, told me some stories about disability in Asia that relieved some of my deepest concerns about how disability is viewed here. Amy has created her own version of the ugly duckling story, the main tenet of which is that being different is perfectly acceptable. Furthermore, mothers can learn to accept their children’s differences and love them despite their nonconformity. I can’t express how excited I was to hear this from a woman who grew up in this culture which values conformity, often to the detriment of those who are unable to do so!
Hazel and another friend of mine have mentioned that my desire to serve as a facilitator of advocacy/disability rights movements in China and Hong Kong is something that I should actively pursue. After the way I was treated in Guangzhou, China, I had decided that I would gladly return back to the United States in December, when my Fulbright ends to seek a job there. However, as Hazel wisely pointed out, if I do feel God pulling me towards Asia, I must heed His call and pursue job openings here as well. Therefore, I will begin to put out feelers on both sides of the Pacific. I only hope that all of my hard work pays off when I obtain my Ph.D.

Update of Fulbright project

Speaking of my dissertation, I have finished data collection! This is Step Two of four steps, as I see it. I’ve written the proposal for my dissertation and convinced my Committee that the study has merit. I’ve now finished all data collection. The step I’m currently engaged in is data analysis, which involves transcribing all of my 40 odd interviews, a gargantuan task. The interviews average out to about an hour in length each. When I consider that the transcription, or writing down of every word spoken, takes one hour per every ten minutes, one can see how laborious my current task is. My goal is to complete transcription by the end of July. The second phase of data analysis will then begin. I will need to sort out my several forms of data into meaningful categories. Further breakdown of the categories into individual codes will help me to organize my findings. Then, I will begin to write up what I’ve learned, the Fourth Step. If God and the members of my Committee are willing, I hope to defend this dissertation by May of 2007. We’ll see how things actually play out.

Youthful friends

I’d like to tell you about another exciting development in my life. Sarah Stevenson is a young, blind woman who I have had the honor of getting to know over the past several weeks. Her English is impeccable. We share many interests, namely audio books and navigating life as blind women. Being 14, as compared with my 31 years, Sarah and I do learn from each other, and her concerns as the only blind person in her school remind me of my turbulent high school days.
Sarah’s mother, Cindy, is becoming a friend of mine too. We share our triumphs and struggles as Christian women with one another. The formation of friendships with so many Asian women in Hong Kong has clearly been God’s work. I have learned from them and have found them to be staunch bastions of emotional and spiritual support.

Spiritual community

Another mark of my settling into life in Hong Kong comes from my church, Emanuel at Pokfulam. I was asked a few weeks ago to offer prayers of intercession for the congregation. In the Anglican Church these are offered after the sermon has been given. While some people read from some recognized source for the prayers, others write their own. I’ve pasted the text of my prayers below. I thank God for the words He gave me and for how they apparently spoke to some people’s hearts. I heard more than one sniffle with the amen.

Heavenly Savior, in worshiping you today, we are in awe of your presence. We thank you for your grace and forgiveness when we sin against you. Your eternal, steadfast nature comforts us as the concerns of this world weigh us down. When we gaze upon the wonder of your Creation in the faces of new-born babies and our precious elders, we praise your name. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Righteous Lord, as we go about our perpetually busy lives, let us consider it our spiritual duty to pause and reflect on your divine providence in our lives and in the world around us. May we actively seek opportunities to serve others with the gifts you shower upon us, to the glory of your Kingdom. Lord, help us to see difficulties, whether they be physical, emotional, spiritual, or financial, as hidden opportunities to grow in your grace. May we notice when others are in need, ask those in need how we can best help them, and rejoice in the peace you bestow upon us, as we minister to them, according to your will. God, help us to shun pity for others and replace it with empathic understanding, lest we erect walls between ourselves and those we serve. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Loving Savior, may your Holy Spirit be ever-present in our homes and in the relationships we form with all people we meet. O Father, give us words to say to others which reflect your unending and boundless love. When others hurt us, whether intentionally or otherwise, may we be slow to anger and quick to forgive. Open our hearts to the Holy Spirit’s ministrations, that we might continue to grow in the depth of our trust in You. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We now pray for those who are on our hearts. King of kings, be present in the decisions made by our governmental leaders, that they might uphold peace and respect for the rights and dignity of all human beings. We ask for special blessings, wisdom, and spiritual growth for our priest and other clergy around the world. Jesus, may your church draw ever closer to your vision for its work on earth. We pray that those who are experiencing emptiness be filled with your loving presence. May every family be strengthened in love and quick to seek mutual understanding. God, please watch over those traveling this summer, and bring them back to their homes safely. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Exalted Father, as we strive to be your people, may You be utmost in our minds, our hearts, and our actions. May our faith in You be as simplistic and innocent as the faith of children. We joyfully anticipate our eventual reunion with You, our creator. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Merciful Father,
All Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

Next time

I will leave you with an incentive to check back to my blog soon. This coming Wednesday, I will travel to Singapore for six days. Because I promise to update you on my adventures upon my return, I will not recount my itinerary today. But, I’ll just titillate those of you who are true travel buffs with a few sentences. I will go with Sarah and her family for a day to Sentosa Island - a former British military outpost which has been converted into a resort paradise. I am told that monkeys run wild there! Speaking of wildlife, I hope to go on a night safari while in Singapore. Sarah, who has been there many times, tells me that there are auditory dimensions of the tour! I can’t wait! And, as I try to do wherever I go, I hope to tour the school for the blind. I’ve been assured that the subway in Singapore announces stops in English! So, I’m certain that I’ll just have to ride it for kicks! The cuisine in Singapore is renown. I have already given myself permission to suspend my weight loss trend for one week while there. I hear that a Malaysian soup called laksa is especially delicious! I fully intend to sate my appetite for Indian dishes as well.

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