{"id":8684,"date":"2019-05-08T05:14:30","date_gmt":"2019-05-08T11:14:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/?p=8684"},"modified":"2019-05-08T05:14:30","modified_gmt":"2019-05-08T11:14:30","slug":"im-still-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2019\/05\/im-still-here.html","title":{"rendered":"I’m still here!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Greetings from Hong Kong!<\/p>\n

I am still around \u2013 though busier than ever (with very mixed feelings about that). I\u2019m working full time now at Buddhistdoor Global,<\/a>\u00a0which has been fantastic. You can find regular writings from me in the news there and\u2013less frequently\u2013in the features section.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Justin Whitaker ponders life. Island Paradise home, Hong Kong, 2019.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And while I work \u201cin the city\u201d I live on an island about 30 minutes away (by ferry, which is where I am now, en route home after the day\u2019s work).<\/p>\n

I am also wrapping up one online class, an introduction to philosophy, which I have taught for Mohave Community College in Arizona for the past couple years (and before that I taught Comparative World Religions for them starting in 2012). It\u2019s a bittersweet time, ending my brief pseud-career as college instructor\/aspiring full-time professor. But it comes after the \u201chigh\u201d of teaching for a semester at Hong Kong University, one of the top-rated Universities in the world (for those who keep track), and a rather sudden new interest in my writing by publishers\u2013I\u2019ve even had to turn down two book requests recently.<\/p>\n

And so I\u2019m writing still.
\nI\u2019m finishing up teaching.
\nI\u2019m commuting (almost 4 hours per day total).
\nI\u2019m settling in to married life\u2013at last!<\/p>\n

And.<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m gonna be a father!<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m happy to announce that my wonderful wonderful wife, Beth, is pregnant and doing great \u2013 despite the chaos of picking up and moving to Hong Kong with me!<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once my class is done I will have more free time (right now I grade papers on my commute each day and promptly collapse usually after dinner when I get home) and will return to regular writing here.<\/p>\n

Thank you for your patience.<\/p>\n

Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n

Thank you for whatever goodness you put out into the world each day.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>

SUPPORT: If you find benefit in independent coverage of Buddhism
\nplease join our community of patrons for $1\/month
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\n\"\"<\/a><\/center>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Greetings from Hong Kong! I am still around \u2013 though busier than ever (with very mixed feelings about that). I\u2019m working full time now at Buddhistdoor Global,\u00a0which has been fantastic. You can find regular writings from me in the news there and\u2013less frequently\u2013in the features section. And while I work \u201cin the city\u201d I live […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":8687,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[763,760],"class_list":["post-8684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-hong-kong","tag-life"],"yoast_head":"\nI'm still here!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Greetings from Hong Kong! 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