While I’m blogging, I’ll update you on life in general for me in Hong Kong. As is usually the case when I stay abroad for more than six months, I’m finally settling in quite well. I’ve got a lovely circle of friends and acquaintances at the University of Hong Kong and at Emmanuel Church in Pokfulam. I’m kept busy working on coding data for my dissertation, lecturing to students at universities about disability rights and educational issues, teaching English at the Ebenezer School for the Blind, and spending way too much time on Skype with friends. The South China Morning Post (the local English language newspaper with a significant daily readership) featured a small article and picture of me two weeks ago. Unfortunately, one has to subscribe to the paper to read the article online. But, ... read more

I’d like to post about a few reflections I’ve been dwelling on lately and to catch my loyal blog readers up about my plans over the next month or so. So, enjoy the next bits about adapting to culture and life in Hong Kong. Then, I’ll tell you of my impending trip to Fujien, a province in China. No so strange anymore As I was walking home from my office the other evening, I smelled the aromas typical of Hong Kong and realized that they didn’t evoke feelings of foreignness in my mind. Rather, the fragrances of cooking oil, ginger, and Chinese spices smelled rather commonplace to me. I remember having similar feelings about smells and sounds in Germany. While the honeymoon period of cultural adjustment is giddy, realizing that the exotic has become typical is ... read more

Monday was my last full day in Singapore, and I spent it at Sentosa Island with Sarah and her parents, Cindy and Robert. Sentosa Island was formerly a British military installation. During World War II Singapore was captured by the Japanese. Apparently, the personnel charged to guard Singapore from attack were focused on threats from the sea. When the Japanese occupied Singapore, they did so by land via Malaysia. Thus, apparently the stronghold at Sentosa did Singapore little good in this instance. THE Stevenson family and I visited Underwater World which had a touch pool. The pool was about three feet deep, and many fish species were swimming in it. Cindy helped me to touch the back and head of a baby shark! The shark's skin felt something akin to a combination of canvas and leather. ... read more

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 ... read more

I’ve been back in Hong Kong for over a week after my trip to Guangzhou, China. But, I’ve delayed updating my blog. My experiences, both incredible and disturbingly painful, have been so raw and emotion-laden that I’ve hesitated to write about them, lest I write something that I later might regret. But, after talking them over with several friends and family members, I now feel ready to relate them to you. I’ll use the sandwich technique to organize my remarks. Therefore, I’ll share positive, then negative, then positive experiences with you. I do this deliberately with the hope that those who read about how I was treated in China remember that not all people in China would treat me this way. While some of the following paragraphs are deeply troubling, others recount some wonderful aspects of ... read more