Share Experience on Move to Hong Kong

Any one interested to share self experience of relocation into Hong Kong with new expats and family? This is to lessen the cultural shock and what to look for when relocating to Hong Kong for new expat and family arriving.

The big things are not much of a shock: HK works pretty much the same way as any developed city with regard to government agencies, banks, public utilities etc.



It's the little things you will notice - people letting doors swing in your face; yelling into their cellphones in public; picking their teeth, nose and earwax on public transport and unashamedly scrutinising the fruits of those excavations in full view of other passengers; deliberately shutting lift/elevator doors to prevent you entering; being reluctant to smile; blocking two or more lanes and seldom signalling when they drive; avoiding eye contact as they walk; and above all the harshness of the Cantonese language on foreign ears.



You get used to all that after a few months and most of us then decide that these irritations are outweighed by HK's advantages: short commutes, a vibrant restaurant scene, easy access to beautiful country parks, ease of travel to other interesting countries, high efficiency (eg washing machine repaired same-day); numerous sports clubs; cheap domestic help if you want it, etc....



As for where to live, that will largely be determined by where you will work and your kids' schools. School choice will largely depend which syllabus you want them to follow (UK, Canadian, Oz, etc).

hi tanker well i have to agree with whoever. we moved from the uk here in march and i'm still adjusting to life here. i find walking around town a nightmare people will just walk into you, no-one even men will hold doors open to you and the queue jumping here for taxis and all sorts is amazing - you have to laugh or you'll throttle someone. You can be in a restaurant and the person next to you will let out a burp or fart. Even the expats will bump into you so you can tell the people expats who have been here awhile. The mtr system is fantastic but you have to be by the door to get out cos the chinese won't wait for you before they got on - another experience to laugh at.

If you can accept these things you will be fine as the shopping is amazing and there is lots for kids to do here.

The other hard thing to adjust to is being without your friends, you will make new friends here but its not the same as having your nearest and dearest.

Hope your moves go well

Getting used to not being able to find everything you need for your grocery shopping in one place can be a pain to get used to ...and then figuring out where you can buy what you need...and finding the time or energy to get there. Or learning to do without!

yah, and also I realise Hong Kong is a 'negotiable' city. Anything can be negotiable.

Accept it not as a "cultural shock" but as a "Life experience". After a while you will wonder what all the fuss was about. Enjoy it and love it. Like "ausmob" says, "...it's not wrong, just different"