Adventures with Tatum: 1 Month

Some people are known as citizens of the world, but for about a month, little Tatum Aline Stanley wasn’t a citizen of anywhere. Tatum, the daughter of former Waco resident Shea Squires Stanley and granddaughter of Cynthia and Rod Squires of Waco, was born in Hong Kong several weeks ago. But she was not granted Chinese citizenship at birth because of a change in the law and was not considered an American citizen until she went through some formalities at the U.S. Consulate.

Hong Kong and the United States used to grant dual citizenship to American babies born in Hong Kong, but now parents must go to the consulate with the baby to get U.S. citizenship papers. Even though she was a newborn, Tatum had to be present to gain citizenship.

“Tatum was born in Hong Kong, but that does not automatically make her a permanent resident,” Shea explained. “A baby born in Hong Kong always follows the parents. Andrew and I have been in Hong Kong for nearly four years and will not achieve permanent residence until we are here for seven years. Once this is achieved, Tatum will automatically become a permanent resident, as well.”

Permanent residence includes the right to live in Hong Kong without a work visa and the right to certain residence benefits.

Even though she was born overseas, Tatum also was born on good old Texas soil. Cynthia and Rod were in Hong Kong for the birth and had taken along a bag of Texas soil to put under Shea’s hospital bed mattress. Unfortunately, the Waco couple couldn’t stay for the granting of formal U.S. citizenship.

Shea and Andrew Stanley and baby Tatum outside the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong.

This was Rod and Cynthia’s second visit to Hong Kong. The first was more of a vacation for them, with visits to mainland China and sites such as the Terra Cotta warriors, the Forbidden City and Macau. This visit was all about their new grandchild.

Shea and her husband, Andrew, met while attending the University of Texas at Austin. They married three years ago in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and moved to Hong Kong. Shea is founder/director of MediaContact HK, which helps media companies expand in Asia, and vice president of Travel and Leisure, South Asia. With her best friend, Chelsa Brindley Ressetar of Waco, Shea also runs www.ownlyshirts.com, a Web site specializing in custom men’s apparel. Andrew is director of sales for Asia Pacific. The couple also writes a travel blog geared to people visiting Asia.

Cynthia reports that Hong Kong is just like Manhattan, very dense and bustling with activity, but Texas connections are possible. One of Shea’s best friends in Hong Kong is an Asian art dealer from Fort Worth. Like Manhattan, most residents live in apartments because real estate is very expensive. Shea and Andrew have a three-bedroom apartment next to a park and a school in the Midlevels section of Hong Kong.

“It is just like New York because they can go down the elevator and in two blocks find a grocery store, a gym and a Starbucks. It is very convenient. They take taxis everywhere and do not own a car,” Cynthia said.