My Upbringing

Age 4: parochial school was no match for me

Erin Then: My mom, Sam, tells stories about how I would scream bloody murder when placed in the playpen and would try and claw my way out. I also escaped from my stroller every chance I got. Even as a little tyke I didn’t like being caged in.

When I was 14, my parents decided to take some time off, sell our house and relocate to a far-off locale. I still remember the conversation we had around the dinner table one night, when we got out a globe (yes, I’m THAT old), and we decided as a family where to go: Australia!

Only problem was, Australia didn’t want us, so we packed our bags for New Zealand instead. New Zealand! I went to school in Auckland (Fifth Form at Rangitoto College), and we hung around for about 6 months. Dad took some Chinese cooking classes and we all got hooked on the Australian soap operas, especially Prisoners. Then off we went to explore the Pacific Rim, starting in Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, China, and Japan.

We landed in Hawaii and were taking a breather, trying to decide where to go next when “we” decided that I should finish high school. (Whatever!) So we stayed put for 2 years until I graduated from Kaiser High, out on the east end of Oahu.

In college I studied International Relations and minored in Asian Studies, so it was no real surprise when after graduation I picked up and moved to Hong Kong with $1,000 (I was rich!), one night’s hotel reservation at the YWCA, and no job or contacts… and that’s when life really began.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 9th, 2010 and is filed under Erin Then.