A Magazine for the Women of Hong Kong • December 2018 / January 2019 Celebrate the season at the AWA HOLIDAY PARTY 5:30 PM, Tuesday, December 11 1/F, Armoury Building 02, Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Arts 10 Hollywood Road, Central Festive Attire Register on the AWA website DECEMBER 2018 / JANUARY 2019 The American Women’s Association of Hong Kong, Limited. Established in 1956 We are a vibrant organization of international women. Our mission is to welcome and empower women to connect and contribute in Hong Kong. AWARE PRODUCTION TEAM EDITOR Stephanie Chan [email protected] 14 ASSISTANT EDITOR Samantha Merton CONTRIBUTORS Natasha Bochorishvili Ming Lai Cheung J’nee Easter Contents Karen Ferguson Monique Kearney Frances Nicholls News from the Board 2 Gail Sousa AWA Enjoys 4 GRAPHICS Afternoon Book Club: Pachinko 7 Jacky Ngan Better Know a Member: Olivia Choi 9 ADVERTISING MANAGER [email protected] 20 Green Your Holiday Season 10 Fashion Sustainability: Doing Our Part 12 Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize 13 PUBLISHED & PRINTED BY R&R Publishing Ltd. Charity Bazaar 2018 14 2126 7812 [email protected] www.rrpublishing.com.hk It’s Nutcracker Time! 20 Book Review: Sunset Survivors 22 22 Calendar 24 The AWA office is open from Monday-Thursday 9:30am-3:30pm. We are closed on Hong Kong public holidays. VISIT THE AWA WEBSITE: www.awa.org.hk LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/awahk FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @AWA_HK FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @awahongkong Any opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author only and do not represent the opinion of the American Women’s Association. Any reliance by the reader upon any recommendation or opinion in this publication is at the reader’s own risk. The AWA accepts no responsibility for any loss which may result from such reliance. Copyright 2018. The content of the AWAre publication is the property of the American Women's Association. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is strictly prohibited. Information from within the publication may not be distributed without the express written consent of the American Women's Association. NEWS FROM THE BOARD News From the Board By Gail Sousa, 2nd Vice President, Membership representing AWA at the Pink Walk for Breast Health, committing weekly to teach English to schoolchildren, and working endless hours on our annual Charity Bazaar (led by our prodigious co-chairs Tiffany Broeckelman and Jessica Flaten Cheng). Speaking of the Charity Bazaar, we would like to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to the entire AWA community for making our Charity Bazaar a big success. The Charity Bazaar is important to the AWA for a few reasons: 1) It is our biggest fundraiser of the year, contributing 50 percent of the monies that we donate to local charities; 2) It relies on the support of more than 100 AWA volunteers; and 3) It fulfills our AWA mission of welcoming and empowering women to connect and contribute in Hong Kong. We hope that most of you experienced the Charity Bazaar firsthand. Whether you purchased a Lucky Lai See ticket (and hopefully won one of our impressive prizes donated by more than 100 local merchants), bought a “Star” for the Giving Tree, purchased some incredible merchandise from one of 88 local vendors, or simply enjoyed the festive spirit and the unique setting of PMQ, we hope you had fun. The spirit of the Charity Bazaar is about giving back and last year the AWA contributed a remarkable HK$1,119,120 to local charities. We provided 30 scholarships to underprivileged students and funded 27 impactful projects for local organizations. Our Charity Bazaar is a special and poignant AWA tradition and we couldn’t think of a better way to kick off the holiday WELCOME TO THE BOARD! Had to jump right in to this season. For more Bazaar coverage and photos, flip to new role as the year is already well underway. Luckily the page 14 of this issue. start of my time as VP of membership coincided with a And speaking of the fast-approaching holiday board development day where we got to understand season, please consider baking some cookies for the each other’s personalities, did team-building activities Red Cross Holiday Cookie Drive (cookies are due and, most importantly, strategized on areas of focus for December 4) and mark your calendars for the AWA the continued success and growth of the AWA. With a holiday party on Tuesday, December 11. We are excited mix of well-seasoned board members and new additions, to gather at a new venue, the Tai Kwun Centre for the dynamic sharing of ideas and consensus on priorities Heritage and Arts, to share in a bit of holiday cheer. made me happy I said yes to the vacated board position. “Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re Since I returned from my summer in the U.S. it has worthless, but because they’re priceless.” – Sherry seemed as if friends are traveling more, popping in and Anderson out of Hong Kong continually. But that has not stopped Thank you for all you do. Happy reading. our members from doing great things, such as 2 AWARE December 2018 / January 2019 MEMBERSHIP Pink Walk for Breast Health The AWA (American Women’s Association) is a dynamic community of women of all nationalities, with Welcome New Members over 650 members from 36 countries. We are sure you Leyla Aghamalova Amy Jiang will find your niche through our diverse range of Janine Banks Keerat Kaur activities, events and opportunities to volunteer. All Pernilla Bergqvist Caroline Shelley women are welcome – do join us! Theresa Christensen Diane Solem Louise Corbett Victoria Spencer Current members – you are our best ambassadors. Mireille Gastmans Melissa Wender Please introduce new arrivals and old friends to AWA – Siobhan Henry Anne Zahner over wine at OWL, at a Neighborhood Coffee, a WOW Jennifer Hollyer Kristin Zeising event, or encourage them to attend CHAT. AWA’s Jane Hotchkiss vision is that all women can connect with us and develop a rich, satisfying and purposeful life in Hong Kong. Joining AWA is easy via our website at: awa.org.hk or call 2527 2961. December 2018 / January 2019 AWARE 3 AWA ENJOYS Yuen Long Short Walk and Dai Pai Dong Supper with Jason Wordie Introduction to City U College of Veterinary Medicine, One Health and the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory 4 AWARE December 2018 / January 2019 AWA ENJOYS Pink Walk for Breast Health Aerial Yoga Foreign Correspondents' Club Lunch December 2018 / January 2019 AWARE 5 AWA ENJOYS Riding for the Disabled Volunteer Training Deity Di Zang’s Birthday Festival 6 AWARE December 2018 / January 2019 FEATURE AFTERNOON BOOK CLUB REPORT: “Pachinko” By Karen Ferguson compares to the game of life. We concluded that like life, there is a set path for us to follow, but there will always be an element of chance in what happens. Just as well, because if everything were predetermined, what would be the joy and interest in the game – or in life? The scoring was as varied as the discussion, ranging from 5 to 9 with an average of 7.3. Our upcoming meeting dates and books are: December 11, “Daisy Miller” by Henry James, and January 22, “Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders. To join the Afternoon Book Club, please email coordinators Kathryn Abbott ([email protected]) and Penny Van Niel (penny. [email protected]). THE AFTERNOON BOOK CLUB recently read “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee and there was certainly plenty of animated discussion with a great range of opinions on the book. The author, Min Jin Lee, was born in South Korea to Korean parents and the family relocated to the US in 1976. “Pachinko,” which was a finalist for the National Book Award for fiction in 2017, is Lee’s second novel. Pachinko gives us an epic story that spans almost a century, three countries and four generations of an ethnic Korean family living in Japan that cannot even claim a single shared name. We discussed one of the central characters, Sunja, and her naiveté, hope, sense of duty, but also her strong instinct for survival. Along with Kyunghee and Yangjin, Sunja formed part of a formidable triangle of female characters that gave strength and community to one another. We also debated the role of men in Korean society and the pressure they feel to provide and protect, and to father an heir. We were lucky to have a Japanese native among us. We were intrigued to learn that there were several inaccuracies in the novel. It was frustrating that Lee had not researched a bit deeper to omit these and so make the storyline more credible and the detail more robust. Death was a recurring theme throughout the book, but even once departed, the characters remained present. It was noted that the author herself has remarked how hard she finds it to end the lives of her characters, having invested so much to create them. Finally, we discussed the title itself and how pachinko December 2018 / January 2019 AWARE 7 AWA 2018-11 full pg AD.pdf 1 6/11/18 6:03 pm FEATURE Since 1990 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Scan to shop Memeber of International Colored Gemstone Association 8 AWARE December 2018 / January 2019 FEATURE Better Know a Member: Olivia Choi Where are you from, and where have you lived? I was born What have been your favorite AWA moments? My favorite in Hong Kong. My family moved to Canada when I was AWA moments are definitely the dragon boat practices and young.