Singapore American School and UWC SEA

I started the day with breakfast poolside. I opted for the traditional Asian breakfast called Congee, or rice porridge. I met up with the rest of the "six pack" where our "poet laureate" kicked off our group meeting with an original poem reflecting upon our adventures thus far. Larry sharing his poetic verse with the group.

Our first visit was to Singapore American School. It is the largest International school in the world with a enrollment of 3800 students. It was a terrific visit and I met a good number of students eager to find out more about Skidmore. We then rushed off to UWC SEA (South East Asia). It was our second UWC school in a few days, and as expected the students we met with were incredible.



After our presentations, we each interviewed a number of students interested in our respective colleges.
Stephanie in presentation mode

Mark is busy interviewing a UWC student.





What's next for the "six pack"? A day trip to Jakarta!

Memorable meal in Singapore

Tonight we went out with a Colby College alum who has lived in Singapore for many years. This dinner is an unspoken tradition for this trip to Asia and it is easy to see why.



Our dinner's highlight was surely the pepper crab. Let's get to the pictures!




pepper crab! (before)
pepper crab (after)

Bye Bye Hong Kong, Hello Singapore!

We left Hong Kong yesterday. We each had some interviews in the morning and then we had a little time to explore Stanley Market. We all met for a late lunch at a German restaurant overlooking the water.

Stephanie is tentative about the "pig's feet" she is about to enjoy!
Our first group pic!
The K4 bus back to the train station.
I say goodbye to a new friend in the Hong Kong airport

Hong Kong's airport is very well designed. There are airline counters at the bus station and we checked our luggage before boarding the train to the airport. At the airport, there are rooms for travelers to nap and take showers in the terminal. I can't wait to return to Hong Kong!

A day of interviews

On Friday, we all woke up early and conducted interviews in the lobby of the hotel. We then rushed back to Li Po Chun for a full day of interviews. The day ended with a great dinner back in the hotel with Li Po Chun's college counselor and his wife.

Larry, Stephanie, Steve and me (Nat)

Group pic at dinner

Picture with some new friends.

This post is dedicated to Sammy, our friend in the club level lounge. See you next year!

Busy day in Hong Kong

We started the morning with a visit to Hong Kong International School. The vistas along the way to HKIS were amazing!



I met two students I interviewed in Saratoga this summer and a number of others interested in Skidmore. All of us (my travel buddies) had great conversations. Here is a picture of Larry doing his thing!


Chinese International School was next. I also had some great conversations here, and I met the brother of a current first-year at Skidmore!

We then ventured to Li Po Chun. We had a large group of enthusiastic students. The energy in the room was incredible and it will be one of the most memorable schools visit I have.

We gave this to our taxi driver. "Please take us to Li Po Chun"



Dueling cabs on the way to Li Po Chun. Steve, Stephanie and Larry get a slight edge thanks to their driver.

10 minutes before our presentation at Li Po Chun. There was not a seat left by the time we started

The frenzy to sign up for interviews after our presentation.


After leaving LPC, we head over to the "Education USA center" in Hong Kong. We did a presentation about applying to highly selective colleges in the United States.

It was an incredibly long day. We head back to our hotel on the Star Ferry
just in time to grab a few complimentary drinks in the "club level lounge." We all decided we were too tired to eat dinner.
Group pic on the Star Ferry.

Despite being too tired to eat, three of us decided to go out to explore Temple Street, a night bazaar filled with some pretty interesting shopping. I was very happy with all of the various purchases I made. Mark bought hair pins for his two daughters back home. He also decided to get a tarot card reading.


Some of the "hair bling" Mark bought


I made a new friend on Temple Street

Group travel is the best way to travel

Skidmore College is traveling with Agnes Scott College, Colby College, Colorado College, Kenyon College, and St. Johns College through Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta, Tokyo, and the Hawaiian Islands. We all met in Chicago and board the same flight to Hong Kong. After about 15 hours in cramped quarters, I was excited to deplane and see the city I have heard so much about.

Planes, Trains, and a Bus

We collected our luggage and boarded a clean train to Kowloon, the area we are staying for the duration of our trip to Hong Kong. We exited the train station and board a bus which drops us off right in front of our hotel.

Mark Hatch and I enjoy the train to KowloonSteve Thomas, Mark Hatch and Larry Clendenin Jennifer Delahunty and Stephanie Balmer

The view from the train

A display of our progress towards Kowloon



We decided to go to "Panorama," one of the hotel restuarants. The views were incredible (pictures don't do it justice), the food was memorable, but the highlight of the night had to be the stories Steve Thomas told



A quick picture with the singer performing in the restuarant. She was covering Norah Jones and was very talented.