Paying It Forward

Today I had a meeting with the most lovely woman, who happens to be a speech therapist. We were to meet at Starbucks and she was going to fill me in on the job market for therapists in Hong Kong. I was a little nervous, as most of the sentiment I've received thus far is that it's difficult for an English-speaking SLP to find work. I was hoping Julie would have some good news...

As I was enjoying my latte, in walked a tall, blonde woman with white cropped trousers, a long flowery top, white patent leather flats, and a bag to match. She was adorable and I was secretly hoping it was Julie. She eyed me and I knew right away it was her. I don't know what it was about this woman...maybe her melt-my heart British accent, or her life story on coming to Hong Kong at age 26; or that she was uneasy here at first and now has been here for 19 years. Maybe it was the fact that she felt the need to meet with me to tell me not to be discouraged. After an hour and a half of chatting with Julie I was feeling a little better about the job opportunities in Hong Kong. She let me know of 1, maybe 2 job openings. She gave me about four other people to contact and told me to be patient and to continue to make contacts. That's the best way to find something.


I left feeling optimistic. She's going to add my name to a group of therapists that meet a couple times a year for dinner, so I can attend the next one. I'm going to take her advice and be patient. Lots of these jobs are full-time, and I'm ideally looking for something part-time so we can take advantage of the travel opportunities here. I'm going to pass my resume along, in hopes that something will open up. I am so thankful that this woman, who I never met, took the time to meet with me and ease my nerves. I told her one day, I too will pass along the favor to someone else.