Moving to HK in July. Advice please

Hi,

As a family we are moving from the UK to HK in the summer. We will be living in Bel Air, Pokfulam and would welcome any advice or knowledge from anyone who has lived in the area recently.

We have two young teenage boys who are really excited about the move. Are there many kids their age around this area and what do they get up to?

Also, any experiences of West Island School would be great.

Thanks!

I haven't got teenage children so can't comment about what children get up to at that age but having looked around West Island School for my daughter I was very impressed with it - Jane Foxcroft seemed a great headmistress having started at the school for early beginnings. There are lots of chldren at Bel Air and maybe you have seen that for yourself already - great facilities there and no question they won't make lots of friends. I have seen the West Island school bus dropping off many children.


What I would say is schools break up end of June and for the majority of us, we leave to go back to our home countries. Its incredibly hot July/August and its not a time you want to be venturing out much in the heat. I stayed here for my first summer and never again!! But for you and your boys they are excited and I'm sure you will find things to do - even if its only swimming everyday at Bel Air!


There is a great network of ladies in Pokfulam who are members of the American Womens Assoc (you dont need to be american) and the lady who runs it actually lives in Bel Air. They have monthly meetings in peoples homes and its a great place to make new friends. Contact the AWA for the co-ordinator in Pokfulam (again she may be away for the summer).


There is also the YWCA http://www.esmdywca.org.hk/PageContent.aspx?pageid=Hong-Kong-Expatriates-Home - their At Home group course if fantastic and highly recommend you doing it - I met lots of Brits on this course as well as many other nationalities.


I can send you lots of other information if you are interested since I work for a relocation company. Send me a private message through the control panel.


Good luck with the move!

Bel Air is pretty nice. Lots and lots of everyone there, and good facilities where I am sure you can meet people. It's very "mass living" but in a luxury kind of way.



"What I would say is schools break up end of June and for the majority of us, we leave to go back to our home countries. Its incredibly hot July/August and its not a time you want to be venturing out much in the heat. I stayed here for my first summer and never again!!"


I don't know about the majority. Certainly many (a bit more than half?) but there are many left here as well. The summer is hot and very humid but HK has both air conditioning and beaches so it's not half bad. It's all subjective of course but we don't find it that horrible. My wife adores the heat btw. Stay hydrated and you'll be fine. 2-3 showers a day are of course obligatory. ;)


Also, by not "going back" we have the chance to travel to neighboring countries instead. Bali for example is just lovely in July and August.

Thanks for all the info.

I'm confident that we have made the right choices but it's obviously still a little daunting venturing into the unknown!

I'm trying to gather as much knowledge before we get there so that I am armed and ready for as much as possible as soon as we arrive. So Maz your offer of help would be greatly appreciated. I'll pm you.

The heat is one thing which worries me but, as you say, there is air conditioning and lots of swimming/showers!

Exciting times ahead I'm sure.

If anyone else has experiences to add, please do.

Hi Alimal ~ Glad to hear that you and your family are all looking forward to coming to Hong Kong!


My family have lived in Pokfulam for many years and both of my children have been through West Island School ... my eldest has now gone off to university in the UK, but I still have a teenager at WIS. We love living in Pokfulam, it's far enough away from the hustle and bustle, but close enough for a short taxi ride if you want an evening out. There's also reasonable supermarkets in Pokfulam so you won't have to go far to do your shopping! ... You've got Park n Shop right on your doorstep at Cyberport, and another PnS at Baguio Villas, and also a Wellcome supermarket at Scenic Villas, both just a few minutes away from Bel Air.


Don't worry about your kids making friends, there are loads of kids around their age in this area ... most of them probably attending West Island School!! I'm sure they'll love it a WIS, both of mine have enjoyed their time there immensely. There's always so much going on there, and plenty of things for them to get involved in, they'll certainly have lots to keep them occupied. Also, WIS seems to have a really good community atmosphere, and it's very easy to get to know people. Not sure if both you and your husband/wife will be working in HK, but the best thing that I did when I arrived (many years ago) was to help out in the PTA bookshop at the school just a couple of mornings each week. I got to know some lovely women, all of them parents of WIS Students, and we have remained friends ever since. I think the PTA usually organise some sort of coffee morning for newcomers to WIS at the beginning of the school year, which is nice to get to know other mums in the same situation.


Don't worry about arriving in July ... yes it's hot, humid, and can often be rainy and stormy during the summer months, and many people do go away for the summer holidays ... oh, and if you're lucky you may experience your first typhoon!! However, I also arrived with my kids in the month of July and we spent the the time before school started basically exploring and getting to know the area ... finding our feet so to speak. We also had many happy hours in the pool, in between the storms!LOL Seriously though, I'm glad that we had that time to share and find out about the place that we now call home. Actually, unlike some, I rarely go home in the summer unless I have to ... I'd much rather people visit me instead!


If there's anything else specific that you'd like to know about either Pokfulam or West Island School, please feel free to ask.


Sounds like you're all coming with the right attitude so I'm sure you'll fit right in and love it here! Good luck with the move!

Thanks for that Sapphire,

Sounds like you really love it in HK. Everyone we've spoken to seems to say great things about life in HK (well mostly!) so we have high hopes.

I certainly intend to get involved in as much as possible and the idea of volunteering at the school is a good starter (I work in a school here, so familiar territory).

My husband is in HK at the moment finalising a few details so I may have some more questions when he reports back! Thanks so much for your help so far.

One thing I would recommend is an orientation once you get here. This is a couple of days showing you around so you have at least a starting idea of where to find things, transportation, etc... Very very useful as it gives you a good head start. Many relocation companies offer this as part of the package.


If your package does not include orientation and you still want one, I run orientations on a freelance basis. Personal message if interested.

Alimal ~ Yes, we all love it here in HK, it's a place that definitely grows on you! Come with the right attitude, and an open mind, and you'll probably never look back!


Actually, I don't know what you already do in a school, but if you were interested in working part-time here (once you find your feet of course!), many schools are often on the lookout for good teaching assistants. It's what I'm doing now and thoroughly enjoy it, and of course it also has a great social side too!

axptguy

We came over as a family in Feb and were lucky enough to have an orientation with a relocation agent then and I would agree it was invaluable. It helped us to decide that HK was the place for us. Without that I don't know how we could have come to the right decision. Although there are loads of things and places we still need to investigate that will be part of the fun when we finally get there. That was partly behind our decision to arrive a few weeks before school starts so that we can take some time together exploring and finding our feet.


Sapphire,

What a coincidence, I am actually a primary HLTA/librarian here in the UK so that would be a distinct possibility. I'm not sure whether I want to start completely afresh with a job in a different area or whether there will be enough changes and it would be better to stick with what I know. Time will tell I'm sure.


One other question - Do you manage daily life without a car no problems or is it better to have one? From what I could gather a car seems fairly surplus to requirements with the public transport, taxis etc all so cheap and accessible. Also the parking situation must be hell. What do others do?

Well, personally I have a car, but many people get around perfectly fine without one. The public transport system must be some of the best in the world. You can get buses to anywhere, the MTR is excellent, taxis you can get at the drop of hat ... no need to worry about having to book them in advance, or not being able to get one late at night like in the UK! And all the transport is clean, realiable and cheap.


Best thing to do is to see how you manage when you get here. If you've always been used to having a car, like I had, you may find it difficult or inconvenient without one. As for myself, being a wife and mother of teenagers, and being one of the few who chooses not to have a full time helper, I do all my own shopping, run the kids around, drive to and from work, do all the fetching a carrying, etc ... So I found it a nightmare without a car ... I tried it for a few months, but having had my own car since I was 17, I found it bloody hard work without one! I don't use the car as much here as I did in the UK ... if I go into Central or somewhere, I usually take a taxi, as the cost and hassle of parking makes it a more attractive option.


However, I'm sure that many people here would disagree with me about whether or not it's worth having a car, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. At the end of the day, everyone has different lives, and what suits one, may not suit another. It's something that only you can decide what's best for you and your family.

My tuppence worth would be to add that the highs are higher, and the lows can be lower, in Asia generally, than in the West. It is very, very important to accept that Hong Kong is not the UK - it is China. Do not keep comparing things in Hong Kong with "how it was back home". Whilever you live in Hong Kong, this is your home.


The first few weeks can be magical, then reality can set it - it takes about six months to fully settle in.


Come with the right attitudes, stay positive and focussed, and you will have the experiences of a lifetime.

"Do you manage daily life without a car no problems or is it better to have one?"


Totally depends on living area and lifestyle. We were without a car for 18 months and were just fine. Now we bought one but it's purely a weekend excursion car. We hardly touch it during the week. As you say public transport and taxis are great. As for parking, that depends. I wouldn't take the car into Central, but going to places like Horizon Plaza or Ap Lei Chau or Shek O beach the car is much more convenient. There's also the matter of playdates and after school activities. Used cars are very cheap in HK so it is not a big burden.


As Sapphire suggests, don't get one to start and see how you make out.




Agreed with Woods about the highs and lows. You'll probably have a few "mood swings" in the first 6-12 months. Sometimes you'll love it, sometimes you'll be very frustrated. It takes a long time to fully acclimatize.