Article about work visas in Hong Kong

Just before Chinese New Year, I was approached by an American reporter from the Standard about being interviewed about my job hunt. I said yes, and I was featured in the article, as was my best HK friend, Kelly. When the reporter sent me the finished article, I didn't think much about it except that I sound like a major twit, with the line about how my "daytime activities now include shopping, watching movies with friends and going on trips to Bali and Thailand." It didn't really concern me much though, since for a large part, this is true. (Except the shopping part...I don't know where she got that. I hate shopping here and avoid it like the plague.) I sound like a twit, but I think that is a point, I feel like a twit too and it bothers me. Plus, who reads the Standard? Apparently the ladies in the AWA felt differently. They had this response:


Email sent by AWA official to Ann Collier, author of article about work visas:
I must respond to your article about the AWA and
> dependent spousal work
> visa's. I can and do not speak for the entire
> Executive Board of the
> American Women's Association, but only for myself. I
> was not only
> disappointed to read your slant about our
> organization but quite
> surprised as well. I truly feel that your article
> was not only a gross
> misrepresentation of our members but of our
> organization as well.
>
> Yes, it is true that some of our member's come to
> Hong Kong and would
> like to continue in their chosen career path.
> However it is not true
> that they can not work, it is only true that they or
> we need to be
> sponsored by an employer just as our husbands are.
> And yes, of course
> this makes it more difficult, but it certainly does
> not mean the only
> option to us is to stay home to bake cookies and
> decorate cakes, etc.
>
> There are many more of us that feel it is a real
> privilege to be living
> in Hong Kong. Many of us are very happy, not baking
> cookies, but
> "working" to raise money for the Hong Kong charities
> that we are able to
> financially support due to our many volunteers and
> their very diligent
> fundraising efforts.
>
> The AWA as an organization is fortunate that many
> of our members are
> educated, intelligent and articulate women. Some
> have had just as high
> powered jobs as their spouses, others have moved
> from country to country
> while raising a family. Not all of these women feel
> that they have been
> side lined as second class citizens.
>
> I am very sorry that we welcomed you into our
> international community of
> women only to read a gross misrepresentation of not
> only who we are but
> what we do.


I don't care what the women that wrote this letter says, it is hard to find work here unless you are in finance, the luxury goods business or teaching English. Especially if you are at the beginning of your career. However, I do know that when I am ready, after Dad's probate gets settled and I am less emotional, I WILL be able to find work teaching English.

So, I guess my question is, am I wrong to not be riled up about the article? Am I being naive? I feel like it doesn't affect my life at all and I have bigger problems to deal with. Maybe because I am young, because of the situation with my Dad, and because of all of the exciting travel opportunities here, I just don't care? Kelly didn't care much about the article either. I welcome comments about this. You can read the article by clicking on the link below.

The Visa Trap