Rhythm Of Life
I can gratefully report that we have all survived the hectic summer schedule alluded to in my last update. Now we are bracing ourselves for the resumption of what passes for normal life.
The visit to North America in July went well. In Vancouver we inspected two universities, Simon Fraser and UBC, plus a community college called Langara. Students can do two years of a degree programme there, then move up to UBC for their final two years subject to results of course. This concept of feeder colleges does not exist in the UK, at least as far as I remember. The University of Washington State is in a small town called Pullman –no fewer than 22,000 of its 30,000 residents are either students or staff related to the campus. It lies about 45 minutes flying time east of Seattle, which makes access a little awkward but the setting is beautiful.
California is always fun to visit. We went to the University of Southern California (whose initials are sometimes misrepresented as University for Spoiled Chinese) and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA – university of California for Lazy Asians) plus two colleges well known as feeders for the latter, one each in Pasadena and Santa Monica. Alex now has a very clear idea of the challenge that lays ahead for him in the next two years.
August saw the promised visit to Macao, which included a side trip to the Chimelong water park just across the border in Zhuhai. An interesting experience though I was not pleased to be barred from going on some of the rides as the risk of a heart attack was considered too high for a plump Caucasian.
September sees Alex off to Thailand for a week at the start of Grade 11, while Tiffany is engaged in a round of farewell lunch and dinners with family and friends. We will take her to LA to help her settle in the middle of the month. Thankfully, the radio show I co-host every Monday is back on air after the summer break. Fanny’s company is busier than ever and she has already warned us she may need to stay on HK time and work all night when we are in LA so as to control key events back here. And they call it a holiday.
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