Retirement - second act

Four years ago, I retired from the Department of Computing.  Today, I retire as the Head of the Service-Learning and Leadership Office and become a half-time Consultant to the Office. 

My colleagues made me a cake with models of some of my favourite things.  There is this man in a Standard Chartered Marathon T-shirt - I did run in the full marathon in Hong Kong quite a few times, and partially all over Hong Kong.  I once ran in the Kigali marathon in Rwanda but had to quit after completing only half of the marathon because of exhaustion.  There is this Great White Shark - I like fish, particularly sharks, and among sharks, the Great White and the Whale Shark.  I once made a shark with a piece of discarded wood for the kids in Kampong Speu, Cambodia.  Then there is this monkey.  I believe my colleagues actually asked for a gorilla - the national treasure of Rwanda.  Then there are these miniature mottos for the office. 

There is this real Service-Learning T-shirt signed by the staff in the office.  I shall remember these folks fondly. 

I love particularly the box with a string of photos from the past 10 years.  The little girl that our Cambodian partners picked up from the street who would not speak.  The primary school-orphanage in Cambodia that we served in.  The Rwanda team at the Center for Champions - primary school for the youths, some already in the teens, who missed the chance to attend school.  The first solar panels that we built for Cambodia that we subsequently introduced to Rwanda in a much bigger scale.  The then President of Chinese University that we invited to speak at our conference.  The University Grants Committee Teaching Award.  The retreats where we had so much fun.  The Teaching Training Course.  My 25-year Long Service Award Ceremony where my colleagues made such a splash.  The weddings of some of my colleagues.  The kids of the colleagues.  The transition to Service-Learning and Leadership in our mandate.  There were so many momentous, exciting, and memorable moments.  No one could have predicted these when we took on the challenge of credit-bearing Service-Learning 10 years ago.  

The last 10 years have indeed been the most fulfilling of my career.  I had the privilege of working with a wonderfully passionate and talented team.  But all good things come to an end.  Starting from today, I will no longer be the head.  But I hope to remain part of the team for some time yet.