Most people have read that great Dr Suess book, ‘Oh, the Places You’ll go!’, about all of the possibilities and all of the challenges that life can bring. It is most often read around graduation time each year. It’s a short story about adventure but also about decisions. Here are a few of those pretty important decisions that have shaped my last 20 years.
When I decided to move overseas, I was already in my thirties. When I was graduating from high school, I thought that moving a few hours down the Australian east coast to Sydney was probably about as far as I would go. Luckily, that all changed and the world got a little smaller. Here are a few of the highlights of the past 20 years. Think of this as a bit of a ‘catch up’ as well as my thoughts on what it’s like living in these five particular countries. I will end each section with a sentence or two that sums up my time at each ‘in a nutshell’ as well as a key lesson learnt. My wife will also add her final word (as she often does)
The Philippines
The move to the Philippines in July 2002 came rather suddenly and through a bit of luck after leaving my resume at a school while on holiday there. I saw it as a real adventure as well as a way of just getting started in working in international schools and thought that it would lead to future opportunities. The two years spent living there were amazing. The school was in Baguio, which is a city in the Cordillera region in the north of the country on the island of Luzon, which is the largest and most populous of the over 7000 islands that make up the second largest archipelago in the world. Baguio City is 1500 meters above sea level and a fairly steep two-hour drive from the coastal town of San Juan. A weekend trip to Manila took over six hours at that time.
My two years living in the Philippines can be summed up by focussing on two main things. The people, and the often challenging travel. No doubt, the people of the Philippines are among the friendliest in the world and I was fortunate enough to make lifelong friends here. As English is so commonly spoken this was a little easier to achieve than in many places I’ve been. Making friends in a country where you are living, is the greatest benefit of staying a while in a place rather than being a tourist. It really felt like my ‘mountain home’ as it was referred to in our school song.
Though the people are friendly, the transport system wasn’t always so. There are many ways to get around this amazing country of mountains and islands and the challenge of getting somewhere was often a part of the adventure. I learnt to be patient here, but I also learnt how to hang on for dear life at times. Planes, buses, jeepneys, multicabs, taxis, tricycles, ferries, small boats and the back of motorcycles make up the various ways of getting around. Most of these involve squeezing in with many others and sometimes just hanging on and hoping for the best.
In a nutshell: An amazing country of adventure, full of confusion, beauty, warmth and friendliness.
Key lesson learnt: Be patient. Not everyone’s world moves as fast as mine.
My wife says: ‘The friendliest and most hospitable people in the world’ (Full disclosure: My wife is Filipina)
Singapore
I really wanted to live in Singapore. It was my goal when I moved to the Philippines to find a way there. I loved it so much that I did it twice. Singapore is often misunderstood. It is sometimes viewed as a sterile, clean and controlled tiny red dot in a region where more interesting options exist. Many people pass by on their way somewhere else and just stay long enough for some ‘high-end’ shopping on the famous Orchard Road and a Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel Long Bar.
But there must be a reason that many expats never leave. It can’t be the cost of living, particularly food and alcohol. It must be more than just having the best airport that I’ve ever seen. It could be the food, which is just a sensational merging of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Indonesian influences. In fact, you are getting close when you realise that Singapore is a place of incredible diversity. Not so much the diversity of the physical environment, but the diversity of its people. It has become such a cosmopolitan hub that many of my classes contain students of up to a dozen different nationalities.
It’s true that in a way Singapore is ‘Asia for beginners’ but it really grows on you. I stayed for four years and then went back for another year and a half several years later. Travel opportunities from Singapore are incredible and it’s a really social place for expats. But beyond the obvious, if you look hard enough you can see Singapore’s soul if you venture more than just a few blocks away from Orchard Road. I could have stayed forever. But another interesting opportunity arose just before I did.
In a nutshell: An easy, efficient and organised place to live that can be great fun and provide a great quality of life.
Key lesson learnt: Don’t judge a book by its cover.
My wife says ‘It’s nice for relaxing, dining and shopping, but too expensive to be a ‘shopaholics dream. And it’s really hot all year long’
China
Never, ever, did I imagine living in China. It wasn’t even on the radar. I’m so glad that all of that changed. In fact, I wish I stayed much longer than the three years that I lived in Nanjing. Through a colleague that I worked with in the Philippines, an opportunity arose to take up a job at an amazing school in Nanjing, a city of 8 million people located 300 km along the Yangtze River northwest of Shanghai. I met my future wife while living in Singapore and though we were in the early years of our relationship, we saw China as an opportunity not to be missed.
So we packed up and moved to China along with my partner’s 12-year-old daughter.
I could write a book about my experiences in my three years trying to adjust and to learn the language and culture of China. Everything here was just fascinating. It was three years of huge cities, lots of language challenges to overcome, working in a great expat community and also seeing the natural beauty of this vast enormous country. And it was the complete opposite of Singapore in terms of climate.
The extremes saw us walking through snow at certain times of the year and struggling with the intense heat at others. The thing though that I enjoyed most was just the daily challenge of trying to communicate in order to get somewhere or to get something done. This is also where I rediscovered my passion for running and got to run a half marathon on the Great Wall of China.
In a nutshell: It is a fascinating place that provided us with a great opportunity to experience a truly different culture just before it got too modern and crazy.
Key lesson learnt: Learning languages is really tough but worth the effort and helps you to understand the culture better. Mandarin is a beautiful language. It’s a shame I’ve forgotten most of it now.
My wife says: ‘China is beautiful but communication was so hard for me and it can make you feel isolated’
Hong Kong
A lot of people who I worked with in China really wanted to live in Hong Kong. In 2011 when we moved there it was not evident that anything had really changed since the days of British control. At least not to the average expat. Hong Kong to me, based on previous short visits, seemed like a crazier, more densely populated and more exciting version of Singapore: less diversity of people but more diversity of everything else (including the weather and the terrain)
It seemed like the perfect place to continue the immersion into Chinese culture but with a few more Western conveniences, fewer language challenges and easier travel opportunities. Of course, my idea of Hong Kong was really just the Hong Kong island part of Hong Kong. I had no idea that there was so much more. It would surprise many to find out that Hong Kong is a mecca for outdoor activities and possesses some of the nicest beaches and mountain trails that you could wish for.
Of our total of 8 years in Hong Kong, only two were spent living on Hong Kong island. The rest was in the beautiful peaceful fishing village of Sai Kung. Life here shared almost as many characteristics with Australia as it did with China.
It was Hong Kong that became a real home for my family. I neglected to mention already that there was a wedding that occurred between China and Hong Kong. Oh, and we added my wife’s younger daughter to our travelling circus. Hong Kong would be where our ‘two’ daughters would mature, graduate and prepare for university life. I would teach them both, and I was on stage to hug each of them when they graduated one year apart. It was sad to leave Hong Kong after four years when we moved to Australia for the girls to begin university studies.
In a nutshell: The place that became more like a home than any other so far, partly due to a great school community and lot’s to do. There have been some recent political challenges, but post-COVID, I still believe that Hong Kong is a great place to live and raise a family.
Key lesson learnt: Mandarin is not Cantonese, Hong Kong is not really China (yet) and hiking is awesome.
My wife says: ‘The place for a shopaholic like me. It’s also a great place for socialising. I still love and miss this place but it’s close enough for a visit.’
After Hong Kong (Part 1) we spent 18 months in Australia, got ‘homesick’ for Asia, left the girls in Australia to cope by themselves, moved back to Singapore for 18 months and then got lured back to Hong Kong when my old job became available again. What a whirlwind few years. Throw in two years of Covid hell and separation from my wife, who became virtually trapped in Australia while I was still in Hong Kong and things were a bit different the second time around. Fast forward to now and after four more years in Hong Kong and still Covid uncertainty when decisions needed to be made ….. my wife and I are now happily settled in Bangkok.
Thailand
It has only been about eight months in Bangkok at the time of writing. So I will leave this chapter open. But it is fair to say that we have landed in another wonderful place that we already love. Bangkok is noisy, crowded and chaotic at times, but tranquil, friendly and beautiful at other times. It is better organised and more modern and efficient than the Philippines, has more things to do and better domestic travel options than Singapore and Hong Kong has better weather and is less isolated than China. We’ve already ventured to Krabi and Phuket and Chiang Mai is coming soon. So far so good.
In a nutshell: This could be the perfect place for us right now. We’ll see.
Key lesson learnt: Just when you think you’ve found your perfect place, another one is likely to come along if you just embrace it.
My wife says: ‘The best place for food, shopping, sightseeing and beaches. Like the Philippines but with less English spoken.’
I apologise for this post being so long. If you made it this far then congratulations. You are now caught up and will hopefully continue to check in with what I get up to and especially what I learn along the way. No doubt, I will draw upon my experiences over these 20 years and five countries when trying to understand the world around me.
Please leave a comment if you wish and subscribe if you want to stay updated on future topics. Happy travels.
Other posts you might be interested in:
https://thefootlooseteacher.com/post/what-are-international-schools
https://thefootlooseteacher.com/post/my-6-hour-walk-around-bangkok