Our Homeschooling Journey From the Beginning (Part 3)

For the sake of our sanity, we felt we had to leave Hong Kong. Despite having good friends, kind teachers, and a strong community, we were struggling to make ends meet each month. For every pro, there seemed to be a con. Our kids had great friends at school, but there was loads of written homework after hours. We lived in a nice neighborhood, but our apartment was far too small for a family of five. There were freelance opportunities for Daddy and a great part-time job for Mommy, but the combined income still wasn’t enough. The school was good, the teachers were wonderful—but the stress was overwhelming. Our middle child was having weekly meltdowns, and the emotional toll on our family was growing.

House hunting in Hong Kong, we knew we needed a bigger space for our family.

That summer, we decided to spend five weeks in Johor, Malaysia during the school break. The idea was to see how it would feel to live somewhere else—to step out of our cramped space and into a larger home. We also wanted to explore the idea of becoming a more nomadic family. So I came up with what felt like a brilliant plan: we would move to my hometown, where the cost of living is just a fraction of Hong Kong’s, and get a feel for life beyond Hong Kong.

Look at the openness of the roads! No tall buildings! (Johor, Malaysia)

The homestay we stayed in for 5 weeks. We felt so happy with so much space in the house!

The trip truly opened our eyes. Having a bigger living space made a huge difference to our mental health. The place we stayed in was more than double the size of our apartment in Hong Kong, and it was hard to imagine going back. We searched for larger housing back in Hong Kong, but nothing fit within our budget. In the end, it felt like we had no choice but to leave. It was one of the hardest decisions we’ve ever made—but we did it because we felt stuck in every way: financially, mentally, emotionally, and even physically.

We could even host my extended family for dinner! Hosting was never easy in our Hong Kong apartment.

One thing I was really looking forward to when we moved to Malaysia was homeschooling! I love homeschooling, and I had truly missed doing it. Once we arrived in Malaysia at the beginning of 2025, it took us about three months to start again—but once we found our rhythm, it felt so good!

Doing a science experiment.

We love the Math curriculum for Lu!

Our boys were able to join robotics classes, gymnastics, drum lessons, and table tennis—and all of these were so much more affordable compared to Hong Kong! It felt amazing to finally offer our children opportunities we simply couldn’t afford before.

As we settled into the homeschooling routine, we were offered financial assistance to send our children to an international school. Since we were still working to stabilise our income, we decided to take the opportunity so we could have more time to work during the day.

A few months in, I realised that the Cambridge curriculum that the school follows—felt quite easy for our children. It made me realise just how far ahead the Hong Kong curriculum had been! There must be a happy medium somewhere: too fast in Hong Kong, too slow in Malaysia!

First day of school in Malaysia!

Through it all, I’ve come to deeply love education—whether it’s through homeschooling, public schools, international schools, or even starting a learning centre (that’s a story for another time!). I love teaching and learning alongside my children and students. I truly value education and believe every child deserves a safe, joyful environment where they can learn, grow, and become the best version of themselves in their pursuit of knowledge.