“For me, the two years I spent living and teaching at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (1991-1993) transformed my world view. I grew up in a suburb of Rochester, New York, and had only traveled overseas to Italy and England. As a white woman and native English speaker, I was accustomed to being in the majority and easily navigating the world. In Hong Kong I was exposed to an entirely new language, culture, and community. As I navigated the subway system and restaurants, I struggled to communicate. And in the New Territories, which had a much smaller international population than Hong Kong Island, I was a minority for the first time in my life. This experience was humbling and taught me to be curious and ask questions. I loved my students and my tenure launched me on a path as an educator. Upon my return to the United States, I enrolled in a Ph.D. program in American Studies and then had a 25-year-long career as a high school Social Studies teacher at Bullis School. I recently stepped away from full-time teaching but have returned to my ESL roots. I now volunteer with adult immigrants, teaching English and helping people prepare for the citizenship exam.Lastly, I used Hong Kong as a ‘home base’ to explore much of Southeast Asia. Over two years I traveled to Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, and mainland China. I am forever grateful for this opportunity to see the world and experience new cultures first hand. My love of travel continued long after Yale-China: at Bullis School, I led student trips to Argentina, Cambodia (3 times!) and Germany. And just recently, I traveled solo to Korea and Japan.I am forever appreciative that the Yale-China Association selected me as a teaching fellow back in April, 1991. It truly transformed my life.”
— Sara Romeyn, Yale China Fellow (Hong Kong 1991-'93)
