A Bridgewater woman who earlier this year worked a two-month term teaching ice-skating skills in China has decided to move there to continue teaching and pursue a master's degree.

 Christine Donovan, 28, returns to coach at the Aberdeen Marina Club, a prestigious private haven in Hong Kong primed with restaurants, banquet venues and sports facilities.

 She was offered full-time duties after another coach confirmed a pregnancy and plans of moving.

 Ms Donovan was also accepted into part-time studies at University of Hong Kong where she plans to spend the next two years obtaining a master's degree in business administration.

 "The opportunity to go and do this I just couldn't pass it up," she said in a recent interview.

 The Canadian certified power-skating coach and a longtime figure-skating instructor said that in Hong Kong she'll continue teaching various age groups, including hockey athletes and figure skaters, aspects of learn-to-skate programs, such as advanced figure skating and power skating, depending on the need.

 The rink is located on an upper floor of the club, overlooking the marina. She'll be living in an apartment about a 30-minute bus ride away from the rink.

 The native New Brunswicker worked in Bridgewater as an industrial engineer for South Shore Health. Ms Donovan said it was a tough decision leaving the company. South Shore Health granted her the two-month leave of absence to coach in Hong Kong.

 In terms of her studies, she said she looks forward to complementing her engineering degree with the master's education, which she suggested will broaden her employment options.

 "It's just very nice it's worked out this way," she said.

 While she anticipates returning to a health-care avenue, she intends to keep her options open.

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 Previous to the contract term, she spent a 2005 stint in Hong Kong working on an engineering project.

 During the two-month stint this year she managed to soak up the "fun experience" of heading out at 4 a.m. to a neighbourhood watering hole to join fellow westerners to watch Canada's hockey team down the U.S. in the Olympic gold-medal game.

 Her family also came to visit her for a week to play tourist together. They checked out various destinations, such as the city of Beijing, the Great Wall of China and Tiananmen Square.

posted on 09/07/10