My Retirement Luncheon

Finally in the last week of my life as a fully employed person, I have created a blog to record the minutiae of my new life. It seems an appropriate time. Since 1998, I have been working in Hong Kong in a tertiary college. In the past weeks my colleagues have surprised me, not by organising a farewell, but by the care they displayed in doing so. It seems I might have left a little mark after all.

The people I had worked with from the beginning were at my retirement luncheon and some new colleagues as well. There were people both from Hong Kong and further afield. You can see me in the pictures below with Kelly presenting me with a retirement hat appropriately decorated with dangling pictures of retirement activities and with Rachel offering a jar filled with good wishes from current and past colleagues. They had really tried to find gifts that were meaningful so I now have a great photo of that Hong Kong icon, the Star Ferry as well as a beautiful gold pendant in the form of a Chinese coin. Perhaps what was most meaningful to me was Kanthi's speech. The comments she made were actually what I would have hoped people would say about me so needless to say, I shed a few tears.

Here I am with Kanthi after her speech. You can see I am looking a bit soppy.

Georges and the Star Ferry

Despite a few hiccoughs, I've learned a great deal from the opportunity to share my life with my colleagues and friends in Hong Kong. Some I have seen every working day since I began and a few have shared the most significant events in my life with me. So foreigners are drawn together in a different culture. It's odd to think that I won't be turning to them for support in worrying moments and for celebration in happy ones.