To Macau!

It's official. This morning I received the official offer. It was approved by human resources and I received news of the terms that I was negotiating. My reply, with some hesitation, was to accept the offer. Many people have congratulated me, and knowing my interests and strengths, see it as a good move. One person, whom I respect greatly, said that if I turned it down, he believes that in the future I would look back and regret not taking this step. He said that it is more important than any money I could get, and going to Macau will bring me satisfaction and a challenge that is valuable. So while he for personal reasons he does not want me to go, he believes this is the right step. (He didn't say these things to me until after I'd made my decision.)

I've made this decision the very week I've started a new semester. It's a very busy time of new beginnings with teaching and other things. But while I am starting some things, at the same time I have to look ahead to the not very distant future. It will be a great challenge for me to pack up my office and books after 12 years here. This is the challenge of the near term.

The long term challenge will be to quickly adjust to a new city, new university, and new environment. I believe that by going by myself, before my wife and daughter join me, I'll be able to overcome these early challenges, learn the lay of the land, and make the adjustment easier for them. So while it will be hard at first, I see this too as a good thing.

Finally, I think it will be much more interesting to blog while living in Macau. I've looked online and can't find any bloggers, which is quite unlike Taiwan where many people blog. This could be a really interesting, informative, and creative outlet for me and anyone interested in reading my musings.


Comments

Post a Comment

Feel free to comment on my blog. Please keep comments civil and relevant.

Popular posts from this blog

Image
Environmental Problems in Macau! This morning, after taking my daughter to school, I returned by climbing the trail up to Taipa Park 大潭山. As I was walking along the section that is closest to the chimneys of the Incinerator, I came across dead frogs (toads?) on the trail. I did not count the exact number, but estimate around 20. All were fully grown and were healthy until recently. But they were all face down, dead, with excreted fluid coming out of their mouths. Here's a picture of one: Other pictures can be found here As I walked further down the trail, about 100 meters from where I saw the first frog/toad, I didn't see anymore. If anyone knows why they died, or what could have caused their deaths, it would be appreciated.
Read more

Blog theme--seeking wisdom

Image
I've been talking with people about my newly created blog, and someone suggested to me that to write a good one, you need to have a theme. This is a great idea. One theme could be reflections on my work and experiences in Taiwan. But I'm currently not in Taiwan. So, at present I am more interested in the process of analyzing, writing, and reflecting. This is what I am doing in my "job" as teacher and adviser at the University of Oklahoma. And what comes from and through this process is the theme of "wisdom." How can wisdom be pursued, understood, and conceptualized? This is my theme. My first reflection comes from notes taken from a wonderful book, Senses of Place (1996). Edited by Steven Feld and Keith Basso. The second chapter in this book, by Basso, is titled "Wisdom sits in Places." In it Basso discusses the process of learning and understanding wisdom from the point of view of the Western Apache of the Cibecue reservation. Below I'm pasti...
Read more

Life inside the Bubble: If not now, when?

Chris Webber asks, "If not now, when?" I'm back in the "bubble" of quarantine. This is my personal story. But I've also been watching the NBA (through a subscription to NBA global that lets me watch all the games online), and have been following their "bubble." My personal story is important to me, but mundane. The NBA story, which has little impact on me personally, in light of the struggle for justice, is not mundane. My Personal Bubble Story  After having surgery in Hong Kong on my right hip, a procedure called "Birmingham hip resurfacing," I returned to Macau on August 24th, and was assigned a hotel room to observe a second period of 14 days of quarantine. While I would rather be at home, or not have to be in quarantine, it is not all that bad. The Macau government is paying for my hotel room - a one-bedroom suite - and providing three meals a day. I have great high speed internet in my room, two flat screen televisions that I can ho...
Read more