Tilley Western, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

John C, Malasia

"In July 2002 our son, Paul, flew to Taiwan to begin what would turn out to be a wonderful four years of teaching English there. My wife, Christine, is Chinese, born in Hong Kong, so Paul's first-time-away-from-home adventure was also a chance to connect with his Chinese heritage.

In the late 1950's Christine and her family had lived for several years in Malasia while her father worked with the British police there on a transfer from the Hong Kong police department.

At Christmas 2002 Christine and I flew to Taipei. Paul met us at the airport and we all flew to Malasia. Our week in Kuching, with its colonial buildings and tropical climate, was idyllic. A highlight was a visit to the Sarawak Cultural Village where Paul took my picture in the full Tilley."