Jackie Pullinger and The Walled City

Getting together with other homeschoolers for activities has been a great part of our homeschooling experience. We've made friends, learned new skills, explored parts of Hong Kong, shared talents and ideas, played games, and been inspired with different homeschooling ideas and methods. One of my favorite activities with our homeschool group is the Show and Tell activity. Periodically, we gather to allow the kids an opportunity to share something they've been working on in their homeschooling. The kids not only get a chance to share talents and/or projects but they practice their public speaking and listening skills. During these activities we also have a special guest speaker or presentation.

A few months ago we had a fantastic Show and Tell activity. As usual, the kids shared some great projects. Cade read some poems we'd been studying and Abby explained how paracord bracelets are made and showed many of the bracelets she and Aunt Nicole made together. Following the presentations and a delicious potluck lunch, we had an amazing guest speaker, Jackie Pullinger.

Jackie was born and raised in England. She sailed to Hong Kong in 1966 at the age of 21 in hopes of fulfilling a lifelong dream of being a missionary. Although not sponsored or guided by any specific church and with only $100 Hong Kong dollars, she set out to find a way to do God's work and help people. Jackie discovered a great need in the Walled City, the densely populated walled settlement filled with crime, filth, and lawlessness. There she established a youth club to provide a safe place for people to not only learn about Jesus but also recover from drug addictions. Jackie's been a tireless, charismatic, dedicated missionary in Hong Kong for almost 50 years now. She continues to preach and serve and help people overcome additions through faith in Jesus Christ.

In a very engaging and animated way, Jackie shared her story of coming to Hong Kong, being in the Walled City, and helping people find a better way of life. She's an inspiring woman whose done amazing work. It was a privilege to meet her and hear her story.

The Walled City was torn down 20 years ago and replaced with a beautiful, memorial park. 

After hearing Jackie's story, a spark of interest about the Walled City emerged in us and we visited the park to learn more about this interesting part of Hong Kong history.

The Walled City was originally a Chinese military fort. In 1898 when China agreed to extend the area of the British colony to include the New Territories, the Walled City remained under Chinese control. A year later the Chinese troops and officials left the Walled City leaving a settlement void of any governance where gangs (primary the Triads), crimes, and illegal activities flourished, including illegal construction, drug trafficking (especially opium), prostitution, unlicensed dentistry and medical clinics, and a place to get dog meat. This lawless enclave became the most densely populated area on earth covering only 6.5 acres and housing 33,000-40,000 people. Jackie described the buildings as looking like a tower of playing cards, leaning haphazardly on each other with electrical wires hanging precariously above walkways and through windows and doorways. 

The buildings were so close together that little or no sunlight reached the ground floor leaving a dark, damp maze of narrow paths. Before tearing down the buildings, a Japanese company took precious measurements of the buildings to recreate this accurate model of the area.

The Walled City Park restored the yamen building which housed the Chinese officials.

A small section of the original south gate foundation was also preserved

with the 2 plaques that say "South Gate" and "Kowloon Walled City".

There are also many rock memorials throughout the park,

 including the Jackie Pullinger Rock. 

The Walled City, also known as the City of Darkness, is a very interesting part of Hong Kong history and I'm glad we got to learn a little more about it from Jackie Pullinger and the memorials at the Walled City Park.

Fun on Wheels

Learning to ride a bike is a childhood milestone. I vividly remember Cade on his first 2-wheeler Batman bike not only riding in circles around our driveway but also daringly trying silly positions and tricks. Abby was a bit less daring on her bike but still loved to ride up and down the street all day long. Ian enjoyed working on his bike with an array of real or plastic tools eventually figuring out how to take his own training wheels off. And Leah tried to keep up with the big kids on her little push vehicle longing for the day when she could ride a "big kid bike". Unfortunately, last year in Macau, there weren't a lot a places suitable to ride a bike so the kids really missed a fun childhood pastime. 

Moving to Lantau Island with lots of trails and open spaces, we hoped for more bike riding opportunities. We discovered there's a few towns here that only allow bikes for private transportation, such as Mui Wo. 

When we visit our friends in Mui Wo, Cade and Abby fight over who gets to ride their cool, yellow bike

 while Ian and Leah love sitting in the backseat.

Finally, we got some wheels of our own.

We bought 2 bikes,

a skateboard,

  and a scooter.

The kids enjoy riding along the bike trails, coastal paths, and around the parks.

They also like to skateboard at the soccer pitch

and Cade's getting pretty good on the ramps at the skate park.

They're having fun on wheels!

Farm Visit

Sharing our adventures in Asia for the last 2 years through this blog has been a fun way for me to keep a journal and help family and friends know what we're doing on the other side of the world. Knowing that some check our blog on a regular basis has helped motivate me to be consistent. Although I've tried to post on a weekly basis there's still so much more I'd like to share. Unfortunately I just don't have enough time in the day or week to post everything. So forgive me but this week (and maybe the next couple of weeks) I'm going backwards a few months to share some things I've missed.

During spring break (I know we don't really have one with homeschool but our friends do and we make sure to do activities and outings with them during their school breaks), we visited an organic farm in Mui Wo called Dragontail Farm.

This farm primarily grows vegetables and herbs to sell locally. During our visit we learned some basics about planting, growing, and harvesting using only organic materials for fertilizer, compost, and pesticides.

The kids planted peanuts and beans

while learning how deep to dig, proper spacing,

 and adequate coverage.

We also learned about pests that can ruin the plants and different pest control strategies, such as using pungent herbs, nets, natural sprays, hanging shiny, reflective objects, and scarecrows.

The kids divided into 2 groups to make their own scarecrows.

The girls' group

and the boys' group.

They found perfect homes for their scarecrows to scare away unwanted birds and pests.

The kids also had a chance to go fishing for tadpoles.

My kids were a little hesitant to get in the water but 

soon were wading knee deep looking for a little catch of their own.

Everyone caught at least one tadpole.

FYI - no tadpoles were harmed as they were kept in a big bucket full of water and returned to the creek.

Visiting the farm was a fun activity for everyone.

Grandma's Funeral

Living so far away from extended family is hard, especially during holidays and special family events. Last month my family had such an event - a funeral for my last living grandparent, Grandma Lillian May Belliston Farrell. 

Grandma was 95 years old and had a bright, vibrant personality. She was a skilled musician on the trumpet and piano, loved to play card games (especially Bridge), and had an elegant and stylish taste in dress and jewelry. Grandma married her high school sweetheart and followed him around the world as he served in the United States Air Force. They lived in China, Japan, England, and many places in the United States. They had 3 children (my Dad's the youngest), 17 grandchildren, and 52 great-grandchildren.

The funeral was a beautifully, upbeat celebration of Grandma and her amazing life. Her children gave fantastic talks sharing many stories, memories, and even a few recordings of her voice. It was a great way to remember Grandma. I even learned a few things about her, like how she had Tea with Winston Churchill. I had an opportunity to share a few thoughts about my Grandma too. It was a special treat for me to participate and express my love and admiration for my Grandma publicly. My talk is included at the end of this post.

One of the best parts about attending Grandma's funeral was being with family. Not only was I so happy to be with my brothers and sisters (although I felt super short),

I also got be with all my cousins (still waiting for Dan or Amy to share the cousin picture), aunts and uncles. I don't remember the last time we had so many of the extended Farrell family together - it was awesome!

Here's my talk that I shared during Grandma's funeral

Funeral Talk for Grandma Lillian May Farrell

May 23, 2014

I remember sitting on the floor of the Hales’ living room with my brothers, sisters, and cousins. Around the perimeter of the room sitting in chairs were Dianne and Devon, Linda and Roy, my Dad and mom, and Grandma and Grandpa. The room was filled with laughter and excitement as we unwrapped and stole white elephant gifts. It’s the annual family Christmas party. As we neared the end of the gift exchange, I overheard Grandma as she surveyed the room, turned to Grandpa and say “Look what we started”.

Yes, Grandma, you and Grandpa started something; something special! You started a wonderful family (most of whom are here today) and left a lasting legacy.

Grandma showed me how to enjoy life. Grandma was a very happy, positive, fun loving person. She liked to talk and tease and had a memorable laugh that often included a cute, little snort. I have many memories of Grandma at the annual family Christmas party giggling and laughing at some of the outrageous white elephant gifts she brought. Remember the cork screw, she’s probably still laughing about that one. Grandma definitely knew how to brighten up a room. 

Grandma was an example of true devotion. Grandma showed me her devotion in many ways. She played Bridge a couple times a week with her friends for more than 60 years. She was a card shark but devoted to the game and her friends. Grandma also was a devoted dog owner. Her last dog, Beau, became her special companion, for a few years after Grandpa died and she took great care of him.

Grandma was foremost devoted to Grandpa. They have such a sweet, endearing love story that started in high school and took them to many parts of the world. Grandma’s love and devotion to Grandpa was most evident to me in the way she cared for him, especially during his final years with his many health problems.

Grandma was a strong and amazing woman! She was sharp and witty, spunky and fun, adventurous and energetic. kind and sincere, devoted and loyal, compassionate and loving.

It’s a blessing to be a part of the awesome family that she and Grandpa started and be touched by her legacy of love, devotion, and happiness. 

I’ll miss Grandma but look forward to seeing her again someday.

I love you Grandma!