The following update on Damian Lukenda, currently living in China, is one of many special greetings that SooToday.com has received over the holidays about expatriate Saultites.
It was sent to us by Damien's sister, Danielle Lukenda.
Danielle, by the way, is pulling our leg about Damian being the tallest guy in China.
Unless Damian's also the tallest guy in the world, who happens to live in Inner Mongolia, China!
To get the real goods on China's tallest man from Guinness World Records, please click here.
********************* The tallest man in China is from Sault Ste. Marie.
And when his parents visited for the month of October, there were two tall men in China!
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At 6'3" Damian Lukenda has no worries of getting lost in the crowd.
Damian Lukenda has gone further abroad to live than any of the Lukenda family.
Being the ninth child, he was under pressure to do something great.
After graduating from St. Basil's, the former Sault Storm player, (1998-2001), perused a degree in education from Lakehead University (2002).
Teaching in London, Ontario, he dedicated three of his summers at the Tim Horton's Camps for underprivileged children.
Firstly in St. George, Ontario (Onondaga Farms).
This was the summer he had met his future bride Jillian Manley, (an East Coaster from St. Francis Xavier University).
They then travelled to Kananaskis, Alberta.
They married this past summer, as the Lukenda clan once again gathered for another wedding, this time in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Bagpiper, fireworks and a lot of seafood, everyone enjoyed themselves.
Making the trip were Kim (Dwayne), Marissa (John), Andrea (Kevin) all from London, Mike (Veronique) from Tuscan AZ, Darlene (Dean, Sarah, Jenna), mom & dad & Christa from the Sault, and of course Rachel (Shawn) from Edmonton.
Danielle (Brent) could not make it as baby Keira was soon to make her appearance.
Finding themselves in Tianjin China, 1.5 hours from Beijing, Damian now was looking to really make an impression.
He works teaching at Harbor View School (business & accounting); and Jillian teaches Grade 6.
Neither has yet to get lost in the crowd and Jillian sure turns heads as one of the few tall blondes hailing a taxi!
They were grand tour guides when his parents visited this past October.
They trekked everywhere from the Great Wall of China to the Forbidden City and Shanghai. Damian has gone from enjoying Mrs. B's and CJ's pizza to eating cow tongue, Peking duck and any other live animals once kept as a pet by the neighbours.
They have also eaten chicken feet - gross – but I don't think you can get avian bird flu from the foot!
The customs sure are different.
This Christmas Damian found himself dressing as St. Nick, a.k.a. Santa Claus and handing out presents to the children at the private academy.
Damian and Jill are to spend the Christmas holidays on the beaches of Thailand (eigh-hour flight from Tianjin).
But still close in their hearts are the snow days, winter football and ice storms of Sault Ste. Marie.
With the 13-hour time difference Damian keeps in touch mostly by web cam and his first comments are always about the weather that he watches on the web cams of the SooToday.com website.
********************** More 2005 holiday greetings
John Halucha, please, please, please hire my cute hubby! Happy holidays from Kathryn in Kenya A Saultite talks about David Hasslehoff and other roadkill The geographically challenged adventures of Brandi Nolan The latest from Lester in London Christmas greetings from Forrest Gump Rocky Varcoe says hi from Whitby! Look who ended up in Sidney, B.C. Sarina Swift meets the man of her dreams Happy New Year, Tammy in Finland! Hello from Ken Anstice in Xiamen, China Amanda wishes you Happy New Year The tallest guy in China is a Saultbie
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