Class Note 1998

Greetings, ’98s. For this Class Notes column I contacted all the classmates I could track down who live abroad to ask about their experiences. You are truly a global bunch, and I was thrilled at both the quantity and quality of your responses.

Anil Doshi was not looking to move abroad in 2015 when he sought out academic appointments. But when University College London gave him an offer, he packed up his wife and two boys. Anil wrote to say that life is good; he cited all that London offers, such as easy international travel and his community of friends. Anil keeps in touch with acquaintances from college too, including his good friend Martin Kessler, who moved to London in 2016. Anil’s and Martin’s boys are in the same class together and they are buddies—great to hear, guys. Anil attended last year’s reunion, where he caught up with Eric Petitt, David Berkowitz, Edward Kim, Sharat Raghavan, and Khalid Osbourne-Roberts. Anil has resided in London during a tumultuous time politically. He shared that living there has given him a more global view of current events, particularly the rise of populism and authoritarianism. Anil’s insights have committed him to speak out about changes to our level of discourse and our institutions. Anil is not alone—I know that other ’98s have also become more involved politically of late.

Kerry (Vance) Summers and her English husband always wanted to live abroad. That and a work opportunity for Kerry led them to Germany, specifically Nuremberg, where they have resided for the past four years. Kerry appreciates the ease of traveling to other countries, as well as Germany’s strong healthcare. She also commented on some quirks of German life, such as enforced quiet on Sundays (most stores are closed and typical chores such as mowing the lawn and washing the car are prohibited).

Keeping up with classmates, earlier this year Kerry saw Angela Scott in Vienna and Alex Reitman in London. As for what she misses, besides the people, Kerry mentioned American conveniences, such as being understood, available customer service, and pay-at-the-pump gasoline. Kerry also wrote that she misses mood lighting in restaurants, which apparently is not a thing in Germany.

Chris Wang took a job in Hong Kong thinking it would be a two- to three-year tour. He ended up loving it and stayed 12 years, obtaining a Hong Kong passport, which he currently holds. Since 2012 Chris has lived in Beijing so that his kids can be educated in mainland China. Chris returns to the United States about once per year, mostly during summer so his kids can attend camp. Chris was also at the 20th reunion, where he saw roommates Dom Lanza, Kevin Ritter, Erik Swanson, Eric Walania, and Forest Wester, as well as Joachim and Richard Raanaas and their dad, Jens Raanaas ’68, all the way from Norway. By the way, Richard wrote that he would give me hiking tips if I ever swung by. Chris also connects with classmates through email, but not U.S. social media, which is unavailable in China. Chris instead recommends WeChat, China’s and the world’s most popular social media app. As for something Chris misses, he cited fresh air, which we Americans take for granted. And for politics, Chris demurs, although he has gotten some good laughs out of the ongoing (trade) war between our two countries.

I will continue this international exposé next time, so please keep the updates coming. For anyone abroad or closer to home, I love hearing from you.

—Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com