LearningToFly.me

You made it to our blog – Excellent. Settle in, I had a long flight and a lot of coffee.

You made good on your part of this deal, so I’ll follow suit. In January, Dom and I will be moving to Hong Kong.

In keeping with my public affairs background, I have prepared a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that I hope prove useful and modestly entertaining. Enjoy.

Why are you moving to Hong Kong (HK)?
The winters in Boston.

Ok not really. We are making a temporary move to Hong Kong as Dom has been offered an incredible professional opportunity with his company and we have always wanted to live abroad. The timing is right, we are leaning over the edge of adulthood and still craving a little adventure, so HK fits the bill.

Wait, what does Dom do again?
Dom joined the fine team of Shorelight Education last October. Shorelight Education funds and manages the global aspirations of leading universities to drive institutional growth, create new revenue streams, and expand access for students. Eager to take on a new challenge, he was lucky #13 in what has quickly grown to a team of more than 80 staff in just 18 months. He has spent the last year building successful partnerships with US and UK universities so in addition to being an ever-proud UC Bearcat, he is also learning to be a Kansas Jayhawk, Auburn Tiger, UCF Knight, and FIU Panther.

Dom accepted an assignment as Regional Director of South and South East Asia where he will spend the next 8 months working to set up branch offices and incorporated entities to expand Shorelight’s international presence in the region.

This effort will include hiring operational leadership in 6 key markets across the region, training and activating marketing and recruitment channels, and leading business development in Asia for Shorelight’s transnational education programs.

How long will you two live in HK?
We are planning on living in HK through September of 2015, at which point we will return to Boston and see where life takes us.

What will you do with your apartment in Boston?
We simply love our apartment in Boston. It’s more than 100 years old, chock-full of character, in the heart of one of the most charming neighborhoods in America and boasts some pretty interesting neighbors. Since our stint in HK is temporary and the idea of moving up and down four flights of winding stairs sounds less appealing than a root canal (and trust me, I know), we were eager to find a friendly face to sub-lease our fully furnished charmer. And we did! The best part… he is from Ohio 🙂

Have you and Dom ever been to HK before?
As many of you know, during the early stages of our courtship, Dom lived in Beijing while I began a life in Washington, D.C. I was fortunate to visit Dom just before Beijing hosted the 2008 summer Olympics. We began our trip in Beijing and ended in Thailand, but in between we spent a few nights in Hong Kong. It was like no other city I had ever experienced.

Fast forward to 2012, we cashed in those hard earned sky miles (thank you, Dom!) and went back to Hong Kong for a week before making our way to Bali, Indonesia. We spent time with some wonderful friends and their amazing kids and Hong Kong started to feel like a very livable city.

What will Camie do in Hong Kong?
I am equal parts excited and nervous by this question. I resigned from my position with the Health Connector and am currently “Fun-employed” and am so looking forward to spending the holidays with our families sans the demands of work.

During our visit to HK in November, I had the opportunity to attend the American Chamber of Commerce Women of Influence Conference  (thank you, Brian!) and networked with some of the most inspiring women in the world. I am looking forward to job searching in HK and will be sure to keep you posted on my adventure.

How did your parents react to this news?
Those of you who know them well, know the Corrigan’s and Berardi’s are pretty phenomenal people and we can attest they are even more amazing parents who continue to support both of us unconditionally. And we test the conditions of that support often 🙂

At a certain point in one’s marriage and life there is the ever-intensifying (albeit justified) hope that the mention of big news equals baby. As you can imagine, the announcement of our move to Hong Kong had to be well orchestrated to avoid any confusion. As such, we prefaced the conversation with “We have some exciting news to tell you ABOUT DOM’S JOB!”

Now I am firm believer that context is key, so let me set the stage for you a wee bit. For about 100 years, Dom and I have told anyone and everyone that we plan to move closer to home. In fact, that’s pretty much how I have introduced myself in D.C. and Boston. “Hi, I am Camie. I’m new here, but don’t get too close, my heart belongs to Ohio. No, I didn’t grow up on a farm.” And so on and so on.

True to our word, over the summer I was searching for work within driving distance of our families and was offered a wonderful position in Chicago just as the Hong Kong opportunity knocked on our door. We had run our families through the ringer on this, and yet, they still remained incredibly supportive of our decision to accept this offer.

Needless to say, we owe you guys and we are going to start a (not so) silent campaign to encourage the Corrigan’s and Berardi’s to visit their offspring in Hong Kong!

Do you know anyone in HK?
And how.

In fact, Dom and I know far more people in Hong Kong than we knew when we moved to Boston 4 years ago. During his days as an ex-pat in Beijing, Dom made some incredible friendships and as luck would have it, a good handful of those friends found their way to Hong Kong, too.

The Brenner Family
Brian and Mayumi Brenner adopted Dom a long time ago. They have been generously giving up their spare couch during visits to Hong Kong since 2007 and we have lovingly watched their family grow with each visit.

Let’s start with the most important fact – Brian was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. What could top that? Well, Brian is also a devoted Cincinnati Bearcat and rivals Dom in his enthusiasm for regional sports, their alma mater, and their fraternity: Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Brian and Mayumi are raising three incredible kids and their support for our move knows no bounds. We are truly blessed to know them and call them friends.

Amanda Mohar
I’ll just lead with this… Amanda is also from Cincinnati, Ohio and is also among the UC Bearcat faithful. Originally an opera/voice major, Amanda was in Dom’s choirs at CCM (College Conservatory of Music) in college, decided international affairs was more her bag and moved to Jinan, China to teach English. She was his roommate in Beijing a year later, a coworker at EduGlobal China, and has spent the last 7 years living in various parts of Asia. She has a warm heart and an adventurous spirit.

Fun fact, Amanda is related to very close friend’s of the Corrigan family and I went to high school with her cousins.

We live in a small world, folks.

The Bibeaus
Oh Canada!….. Dom met Landon and Marisa Bibeau (introduced by Amanda Mohar) while they all lived in Beijing and they became fast friends. Back in those days, the Bibeau’s were parents to the one and only Carter – an adorable pug whom Dom baby-sat when they traveled and his Canadian passport photo still remains in Dom’s wallet.

During our 2012 visit to Hong Kong, Landon and Marisa generously let us stay with them and we got to meet their amazing first-born! This kid is “the man” and he now shares his toys with his brother (also, awesome) and the two are getting ready to welcome their baby sister in the Spring. We are so grateful for this family and can’t wait to spend more time with them next year!

The Hands
Another member of the Beijing Band, Tom and Ivy have also relocated from Brisbane, Australia to Beijing, China, and eventually to Hong Kong now that they have grown by one – and he is such a sweetie! Dom and Tom are in the same industry and they trade war stories over a few bottles of wine whenever they are within 500 miles of one another. Dom had the opportunity to attend their beautiful wedding in Australia in 2009 and we couldn’t be more excited to join them in Hong Kong.

James and Ainsley Kelly
James and his beautiful bride, Ainsley, might as well have been from the Beijing band as James’ job had him passing through the city quite often when Dom lived there. Dom and James, like Tom, are also in the same industry so there is no shortage of stories that could have been featured on “Locked Up Abroad.” Aussie natives of Canberra and Newcastle, James and Ainsley have found themselves moving to Hong Kong just a few months before us and we are so excited to experience this transition with them! They have been incredibly helpful as we set up our move and we look forward to making memories with them soon!

Stefanie (Dunlap) and Nick Brenner
Remember that small world part? Yup, it’s true. Another Ohio-native has found her way to Hong Kong, but not just any Ohio native. Stefanie is from my hometown and we went to high school together! Her mom used to work for my late Uncle Terry and my mom taught her brother Bobby in junior high. Nick hit the jackpot with Stefanie and is pretty cool himself. These Buckeyes have already made Dom and I feel at home!

When do you two actually leave?
Dom and I will fly east…far east on January 4 (Happy birthday, Dad!) and will stay in a hotel for a hot second.

Do you have a place to live?
Ugh. Details.

During our visit to HK in November, Dom and I saw over 30 apartments and learned that the market in Hong Kong turns over very fast. So while we found some incredible places to call home, unless we wanted to move in that day it was in our best interest to wait until January to secure a place. Teaser for another blog 🙂