Hello from Hong Kong!

Greetings from Hong Kong, where I just moved last week to join Udai, who has been working here for the past two years! 

It's day 6 of my 7-day government-mandated hotel quarantine and I started my job with PathFinders Hong Kong this Monday. I am working on a research report to prepare for a roundtable in November -- outlining the experiences of migrant domestic workers who come to Hong Kong for work, usually from Indonesia and the Philippines. These women have multiple, complex caretaking relationships with the children they leave behind with fathers and caretakers in their origin countries, the children they look after on behalf of the employers who hire them, and the children they may get pregnant with during their time in Hong Kong. I am tasked with figuring out how to most succinctly present the challenges faced by all three kinds of children as they navigate their relationships with these migrant mothers, as well as the questions of home, identity, safety, and economic security with which these women grapple.

Studying the city from this vantage point is fascinating as we will no doubt juggle our own questions of home, identity, and belonging. I am filled with gratitude that we have the opportunity to do so together.

My view from quarantine!


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