After many years of dreaming about teaching abroad, living outside the US, and traveling all over, I've finally taken a leap of faith and moved halfway across the world to Hong Kong. In a short amount of time, I've learned a lot about this wonderful city, and thankfully, I haven't been homesick at all!
Hong Kong truly has been very welcoming, and I've adjusted quite easily. However, with all the good, there are a few things I wouldn't mind changing.
Here are 10 things I've discovered...(and accepted) about this city that never sleeps!
1. When it rains, it pours! If you find yourself here on a rainy day, you may wonder why you're drenched from head to toe especially if you're under the protection of an umbrella. It may very well be that you're actually getting wetter from other people's umbrellas dripping onto you than from the rain itself. The perks of being the shortest one is that your umbrella is always beneath everyone else's umbrellas!
2. How come I'm wet even when it doesn't rain? Mm, let's see. Humidity? Check. Oh, and the water dripping down on you from above...no, not the rain. It's coming from the A/C units. How very pleasant.
3. I no longer rely on using Circle Ks, 7/11s, or Maxim's as a reference point when I'm trying to find my way around the city. It seems as though every street corner and MTR station has them...and sometimes built alongside one another.
**Just a tip: If you're meeting up with someone, never use Central MTR. Every floor has a 7/11 and Maxim next to each other. I know because it took over 30 mins of running up and down the stairs to find my friends. We unfortunately made the mistake of only using 7/11s and Maxim's as reference points.
4. My colleagues jokingly told me that commuting via mini buses (esp the green ones) meant you may never live to see another day. Curiously, I decided to take it. Why they don't install seat belts in there is beyond me.
5. What's that rumbling noise I hear? Oh, just the many suitcases being pulled in the streets by shoppers. Didn't you know? Suitcases weren't only used when you travel; they are now the new shopping bags!
6. If there's not enough room at a local restaurant, it's not abnormal to share a table with a stranger. Actually, the waiters prefer it...and then they rush you out. Efficiency is key. I do love eating at local canteens...just don't expect to make too many friends while you're there.
7. It's very exciting to see other tourists don a UT shirt. It's very disappointing (and embarrassing) when they have no idea what I'm talking about and just stare at me while I say "hook 'em!" One Aussie told me he never understood why people threw up their horns. For the longest time, he thought it meant "hang loose"...
8. Hong Kong people LOVE Ikea. Want to meet a local? Go to IKEA! If you ask them where's the best place to relax on a Sunday afternoon...it would be Ikea. Best place to hang out with friends? Ikea. Best place to nap? No brainer...Ikea.
Don't believe me? Check it out.
http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-shoppers-napping-at-ikea-2014-7
9. There is no such thing as good local TV in Hong Kong. Maybe only in the evenings on TVB (if you fancy Chinese dramas). Besides that, it's got nothing. Not to worry, Now TV offers E! network. Woohoo! Trash TV galore!! :)
10. When shopping in HK, keep in mind...size S in HK is size L in the US. You can only imagine the horror of having to get fitted for my uniform...in a non-A/C restroom. Doesn't your body expand in the heat? Oh, the horror.
But all in all, things are well. I'm sleeping and eating quite well. I've even noticed that my American accent and vocabulary isn't so American anymore. You'll just have to see next time we meet!
