Almost three years ago, after a dear friend’s wedding, a Japanese friend asked if I would like to join her in this salsa bar in London Bridge. It was this Peruvian place that I had been a couple of times before. It was there I had met the person who would change my life forever. Although it took me another 6 months to realise that.
Living in Tokyo, having been here for two years, my students still ask me how I became an English teacher. Well, let’s start from the very beginning.
Born in Hong Kong, I was sent to a boarding school in North Wales when I was 14. It was a bit of a shock moving from Hong Kong to a seaside retirement town even though I was one of those rare village girls who has never lived in an apartment block. Came UCAS time, undecided about which subject in science I wanted to do, I applied to all the universities that offered the broad natural science course. Cambridge was one of them. “Don’t be ridiculous!” I said to mum when she encouraged me to apply there. To this day, I still think I was very lucky to have made it. Perhaps it was a cultural diversity quota thing? I still remembered that grey winter day I went for my interview. I saw the others, a few of them, were accompanied by their mums. It was not until that moment that I thought I had gotten pretty far. A village girl from Hong Kong. Not bad! Today I still couldn’t tell if I had heard it right when my professor who interviewed me said to me, ‘See you in October!’
Cambridge was where I had met a lot of my wonderful friends. After that, I was about to start a PhD in Cold Spring Harbour the same year that 9/11 happened. I don’t know how my life would have been liked if I had gone that way. I remembered it was James Watson who surprised me a bit when he just kept on talking about a certain gorgeous Russian tennis star during out little chat. I wasn’t sure if that place was really for me. So London it was and it happened to be where my love was.
I ended up doing a PhD in London on the geneticist’s classic favourite, Drosophila. I had some good and bad time but I gradually realised tackling one problem at a time and for a long time might not be my thing. Some bad things happened. One day, I walked out of the lab and decided never look back. It turned out to be how I had missed the 7/7 London attack as I decided to stay home instead of turning up at the lab not far from where the bus had exploded!
I was in pretty bad states. Depression is a funny thing, you really don’t know it when you are in it. That’s when I started dancing salsa.
I was lucky to get a job in science publishing and for having worked for one of hardest working and fair women I had ever met. Before I took that job, I thought I would never work under another female boss, but she was worth it every bit. Agency work was fun but something was missing in me. I was getting tired of the city.
It was then I had to make the decision to quit and follow my heart. That was how I ended up living in Japan and started my life as a teacher. I never would have imagined how much I would enjoy getting to know my students. But science is always in my heart. I am still the same curious person who always ask too many questions.
Wonderful story,Connie 🙂
It’s very unusual to me to discover enjoyment reading someone’s blog!
And i didn’t know i like your writing style!!! It’s YOU!!
Keep going, girl!! And have a secret girls talk at cafe :)) hehehe
Ciao
“To this day, I still think I was very lucky to have made it. Perhaps it was a cultural diversity quota thing? ”
I also think I was very lucky to get into Cambridge. We all were, considering there are lots of people who are good enough to get in who are turned down every year. However, I do NOT think you were let in for cultural diversity (Illegal in the UK anyhow)! You are really smart and deserved to get in on merit.
Good luck in Japan. I enjoy reading your blog
-Zoe from NH
Thanks Zoe. It’s been a while. How are things? Still in the UK? Hope to catch you soon.
Still in the UK, still a patent attorney.
Sounds great. Perhaps I can do that one day….
Of course, if you want to. There are lots of exams but mostly I enjoy it.
did you go to Clare? I think your name rings a bell. We should have met somewhere on campus (I was a grad student) but I don’t think you have any memory of me! the only reason I remember your name was ‘cos it was my first time living in UK and there were not many chinese around.
Hi Amy,
Thanks for stopping by.
Yes indeed, I went to Clare. You were right, there weren’t so many Chinese in our college. What are you doing now?
Connie
preparing for the bar exam in the US and moving on to become a lawyer..
I remember there were very very few….at clare, although the percentage was higher at other colleges. about graduate students in my year, there were only 2 chinese.
Good luck with that Amy. I hope all goes well. Changes for everyone.
do write about Japan (I love japanese food and hello kitty!) and hopefully relate it a little to your experience in UK.
it’s a long time ago but it also seems like yesterday. nostalgic….
Will try. Do check out my other blog as I can do more on that over there.
sure.
I sort of miss the porter’s lodge … everything …. on the clare campus (new one across the river). I recall that I moved to graduate housing north of the river in my second year and so did not spend time at all on the clare campus. I’ve probably missed out a lot.