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Is it Wise to Leave School in US mid-semester to move to HK for 9 months?

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  1. #11

    @MandM!, Thanks for your reply. I know, my family in the US never allowed me to do sleepovers when I was in elementary while all my friends had fun and had better bonding because of it. It's just not part of the culture of norm as you mentioned. As high maintenance that kindergartners are, I would not want to have any involvement in sleepovers.

    I didn't think about the schools and protests being the backbone. Good to know. Thanks for giving me your point of view. I keep thinking that maybe I'm being too strict or paranoid. Hearing all of your opinions means a lot to me and lets me validate that my concerns are real.


  2. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by merchantms:
    No it is not wise. Stay in the US.
    Thanks @merchantms. At least I know I'm not being paranoid. Your opinion means a lot and helps me to validate my concerns. I feel bad for staying in the US while he is in HK.

  3. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Jaz Paul:
    if you know that he's already been working hard out then your presence in the existing chaotic climate of hk will only put more burden on him.

    I wouldn't do it.
    @Jaz Paul,
    Yes, the reason we went back and forth for the past 2 years was not only because he didn't get accepted to a school in HK except last January (but we wanted to defer and didn't go in January) because he stated that it would be too much pressure on him if we moved to HK. He liked that we shuttled back and forth so he wouldn't feel the pressure of us living there. If he wanted to come back to us in the US at any time during his contract, he knew it would be ok and therefore, less pressure on him at the workplace.

    Good to know about there being more pressure in this chaotic environment. I didn't see it from that point of view. I definitely don't want to do that to my spouse.

  4. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by librarygirl2:
    I didn't think about the schools and protests being the backbone. Good to know. Thanks for giving me your point of view. I keep thinking that maybe I'm being too strict or paranoid. Hearing all of your opinions means a lot to me and lets me validate that my concerns are real.
    This piece of advice wasn't quite on the mark. International school kids are staying largely out of this. Politics are more an issue within local high schools. It's not going to touch a young kid in an English medium international primary.

    Quote Originally Posted by librarygirl2:
    @jgl, we live not too far from the IFC. Not mid-levels.
    That's a different thing entirely. There have been multiple incidents directly in that area over a period of months. Also, it just doesn't strike me as a great environment for a young kid regardless of what else is going on- it's not exactly drenched with green parks and play areas.
    shri and Kowloon Goon like this.

  5. #15

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    Just to be clear, it's not the protesters that are "scary", it's the actions of the police. Overall, I think the public is perfectly safe as long as you stay informed about areas to avoid at certain times.

    But Hong Kong is crowded enough as it is on top of all its problems. I wouldnt come.

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  6. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Elegiaque:
    Just to be clear, it's not the protesters that are "scary", it's the actions of the police. Overall, I think the public is perfectly safe as long as you stay informed about areas to avoid at certain times.

    But Hong Kong is crowded enough as it is on top of all its problems. I wouldnt come.
    The police aren't scary, but maybe that's because I don't throw bricks and petrol bombs at them, neither do I feel the need to trash every bit of property in sight.

  7. #17

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    I remember kindergarten as being a super big deal, in a real school building that went up to grade 5! He's probably got enough to deal with. I moved to a new job in a new state while my daughter was in kindergarten and left her behind with my mother as I felt it was that important for her. You can still visit at Christmas and winter/Easter break, it's something. Protests are happening in Central and it could be frightening for a kid- just hearing people screaming strange things in a foreign language can be a jolt (even if they are harmless protest slogans, probably wouldn't sound that way to him).


  8. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Seagulls!:
    The police aren't scary, but maybe that's because I don't throw bricks and petrol bombs at them, neither do I feel the need to trash every bit of property in sight.
    This comment shows a lot of naiviete. Yes, you can minimize the chances of the police beating you or arresting you, but the fact is that police have been hurting people who have not broken any laws - there's plenty of videos of this and it's hard to believe there hasn't been more, unrecorded violence; they've also let slide violence when citizens who support them commit it; all of this against protesters (who, it should be added, have the right to protest) *and* people who happened to be in the same place as protesters, including folks who were just taking the train someplace. Nor can you count on police help these days in cases of 'normal' crime (which used to barely be a thing here; now I don't know if it will rise or not).

    So, yeah. If I was the OP I would be super hesitant.

    That said...

    If you're willing to take a bet on the future of HK, and are willing to wait out what you think will be a temporary period of unease, I suspect that places in schools (esp international schools) are easier to get, and apartments would be as well. And if you want your kid to be fluent in Chinese, the sooner the better. It's a very good school system here, in normal times I think it's a great place to be a kid (notable exception: air quality), the society is super family-friendly. US public schools will be waiting for you.

    We had to make a decision at a similar time (just w/out the political upheaval in HK), when we were very torn about coming back to HK or staying in the US; the kid had gone to HK preschool, US kindergarten; had to make the decision for when he started 1st grade. Biggest thing for us was that we knew that if he started out in HK schools he could go back to US schools, but that if he missed a year of HK schools he probably wouldn't be able to catch up.

  9. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Loblaw:
    This comment shows a lot of naiviete.
    I think his/her post was in response to the previous observation that the protestors are not scary. Both parties can be scary if you find yourself in the middle of a protest, especially if you have a child with you.

    I can't speak to the other part of Seagull's post, but let's not get off topic. As you said, it's not the best time to relocate to Hong Kong.
    Last edited by Kowloon Goon; 07-10-2019 at 11:48 AM.
    traineeinvestor and MandM! like this.

  10. #20

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    Original Post Deleted
    I call BS, its the media putting this FALSE PROPAGANDA in your mind. It makes NO SENSE for police to target innocent people when they have a bunch of "violent protesters" in front of their face. I have not heard ONE issue of anyone I know encountering a police issue. People who are not involved with violence KNOW to stay at home and stay away from the protesters. You can say the protesters are not violent, but there is no doubt that any of these horrible actions only occur where the protesters are present.

    You can choose to attend, as an innocent person and get caught in the middle, or you can stay away. The choice is YOURS!

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