Back in March of 2010, during a three week stint working out of my old firm's London office, I lamented on this blog, "I can't believe so many 'Nova connections have come together across the Pond! There just seems to be a constant flow of current students and alumni passing through this town, which, sadly for me, is not the case in Hong Kong."
Well, what a difference six years makes! These days, more and more Wildcats are making their way to the Pearl of the Orient, for one reason or another, and it's nice to see old familiar faces and make new friends with whom I share a common bond.
The string of weeks post-Burma is now unforgettably linked in my mind with dear old alma mater, thanks to two incredible 'Nova connections who found their way to Hong Kong. One's trip was an unexpected surprise while the other's was months in the making, but taken together, they were pure pleasure. Needless to say, I look forward to future visits from many more of my fellow Wildcats as the Far East becomes more and more linked to the West while the world gets more and more interconnected!
A full week after I returned from Burma—in my mind anyway—I was still in recovery mode. As amazing a trip as it was, my adventures there were just that: adventures! In no way, shape or form would I apply the word 'relaxing' to them. We were up for sunrise every single morning, out late most nights and filled the daytime in between with bona fide active pursuits, like grueling bike rides, strenuous temple climbs and long, exploratory walks.
I could have done with another week of relaxation, but Hong Kong just wasn't having it. Joe sent me a message on Sunday, a week to the day after I got back, because he had seen on Facebook that our old Orientation Counselor, Kurt, was en route to Hong Kong for work! Of course, I immediately shot Kurt a message, and we wound up meeting many times during his visit.
Of course, Jello shots at Al's Diner were involved
In fact, that very first night, we went for drinks at Trafalgar followed by a Vietnamese dinner in Happy Valley with some friends of mine; on Monday I took him and his boss to Crystal Jade for dan dan noodles and xiao long bao; Wednesday was a bear of a night, starting with Peking duck at American Restaurant followed up with the Happy Valley races and Ladies Night in Wan Chai afterwards; Thursday we had a spicy but delicious dinner at the Sichuan favorite Chili Fagara in SoHo; and Friday turned into a massive night out in Lan Kwai Fong and Wan Chai, culminating for Kurt and yours truly with an early morning pit stop at the twenty-four hour diner, the Flying Pan.
'Happy Wednesday' at my local track
It was spectacular to have my old O.C. here in Hong Kong. We had a lot of reminiscences about the summer of 2005, when Kurt, then a junior, guided our newly-minted group of Villanova freshman around the campus green during our sensational orientation program. Group 18 gave me several of the best friends I've ever had, including Shea, Jen and Joe, who have all come to visit here in Hong Kong, and a handful of others with whom I've stayed close over the years and hope to one day welcome here.
Lean Mean Group 18 Machine, Orientation 2005
From formals during our freshman year right up to Ryan and Marybeth's wedding last September, whenever three or more Group 18ers gather together, we rarely fail to snap a reunion shot, often tallying up to eighteen on our fingers! And I expect the tradition to continue for a long time.
Three of four 18ers in this photo have visited me in Hong Kong... Gretchen! Get on that stat!
Before Kurt left, my colleague Kim from our Bangkok office came to town. Although we had never met before, Kim and I speak on the phone practically every day, so it was great to finally meet her and her boyfriend, Punch. My friend Angele celebrated her birthday with a "mustache" party on their first night here, so Kim and Punch came along. (In fact, it was the same Friday that later segued in to my early Saturday morning diner visit with Kurt.)
Friday night's mustache party in SoHo
Kurt flew out on Sunday, and that same day, Pernille arrived back in Hong Kong. Close followers of this blog may remember Pernille from an old post from 2014. She was living in Beijing at the time, and she came to Hong Kong to visit my friend Emilie. Due to her tiny apartment, Emilie asked if Pernille could stay with me, since I have ample room. And during her stay, Pernille and I became fast friends.
Fast forward to 2016, and Pernille now lives in Chengdu, where she's starting up a new business. On a visa run to Hong Kong, she asked me if she could stay again, and I was delighted to welcome her back. Ironically, Sunday was also the day of Emilie's own farewell party, as she moved back to France on Monday evening.
On Wednesday afternoon, my old professor Peggy landed in the SAR, leading a group of twenty-six MBA students from the Villanova School of Business to Vietnam and Hong Kong over their spring break! I linked up with Peggy at their hotel in Prince Edward after work that day, and I got a chance to introduce myself to a sampling of the students in the hotel lobby, too. Peggy and I then nipped up to the club lounge, where I finally got to meet her husband Sohail, also a professor at Villanova.
I first met Peggy my freshman year at 'Nova, when she coordinated my summer study abroad program in London. My junior year, I took her international comparative management class. When I was in London for the 2012 Olympic Games, we met up for meals and a night at the theater. And a few times, I've even Skyped live into her class to talk with her students about being a young expat overseas. As she explained to a friend of mine during this recent trip, "Paul and I are pretty much family now." So it was so great to finally meet Sohail (and a little confusing to understand why it took so long).
It was a real pleasure for me last March, when Peggy made her way to Hong Kong with some of her students. I took her to Happy Valley racetrack and we got to spend a lot of fun time together. So when she informed me just after the new year that she'd be leading another group to Asia again this break, we immediately started to make plans.
With Peggy and other VSB students during my summer abroad program in London in 2006
It was a real pleasure for me last March, when Peggy made her way to Hong Kong with some of her students. I took her to Happy Valley racetrack and we got to spend a lot of fun time together. So when she informed me just after the new year that she'd be leading another group to Asia again this break, we immediately started to make plans.
Leading up to her trip, Peggy had asked if I had a recomendation for a good first dinner. "Sohail and I like 'dives' with the best local food," she told me. It seemed like I needed to call in my Cantonese support group, and my pal Chun came through with an awesome suggestion: Mui Kee in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Peggy and Sohail graciously extended a dinner invitation not only to myself but also to Chun, his girlfriend Amelie and Pernille. And it was amazing how well this group gelled. We wound up sticking around for over three hours at the table, discussing myriad topics from politics to travel to Hong Kong-Chinese relations to Pernille's business venture in Chengdu to Peggy and my experiences in London. It was the kind of meal where the food, atmosphere and discussions all come together so perfectly that it would be difficult to pick a single element that needed changing!
For Thursday's meal, Peggy requested a return visit to Shatin Inn, the amazing Indonesian restaurant in the New Territories where I took her for dinner last year when she was in town. And by extending the invitation to Rebecca, a fellow VSB staff member chaperoning the trip, and Katie and James, two good friends of mine, we were able to order a great array of delicious dishes, from satay and nasi goreng to beef rendang, lamb curry and gado gado. I just love Shatin Inn, and sitting outside in the leafy garden, with great conversation and the most delicious food made for a wonderful night.
The group's farewell dinner took place Friday evening up the Peak at Cafe Deco. And at last, I got to meet the entire crew of students. Peggy also asked me to get a small posse of alumni together, so we could spread ourselves out among the crowd and chat with them about our experiences. Of course, I enlisted CriCri, my fellow 'Nova '09 pal and recent travel buddy, and I also invited Sydney, the new arrival from the class of 2015, who started working in Hong Kong last August. The final member of our Wildcat quartet was Sean, a graduate from the class of 2010 who I bumped into at Dusk Till Dawn many moons ago, and who is probably as passionate about this city as I am.
Of course, being a Friday, after dinner, the four of us did our best to show off Hong Kong's nightlife scene, taking all the students around Lan Kwai Fong to some of our favorite haunts, like Al's Diner, Brickhouse and Le Jardin.
It wasn't the easiest task in the world for me to make it from Happy Valley to Peggy's hotel in Prince Edward at 8:30 the following morning, but somehow I succeeded. She had invited me to join for the half-day excursion to the Big Buddha on Lantau Island. Only one MBA student showed up in the end, so I felt semi-guilty for keeping them out so late and semi-proud at clearly having succeeded in my goal of showing them a good time! And, as always, it was incredible to see impressed reaction from Peggy, Rebecca, her husband and the lone student upon experiencing Lantau Island's endless treasures!
That night, I took Peggy and Sohail to Cheung Chau for a fresh seafood dinner at New Baccarat, with Fredric in tow. It was a fitting meal to cap off a memorable string of delicious dinners.
Sunday was the day Peggy and company flew out, and I finally had a chance to recover (again). But I love that Hong Kong is becoming a frequent stop for connections from my Villanova network, and I look forward to showing this incredible city off to scores of Wildcats as time goes by!
