Now that my study abroad trip is over, as I reflect back on my Hong Kong Days I am able to truly understand the reasons behind why a person, place, or thing is the way that it is.
1. Language Accommodation
A local HK friend I had met during my second semester at CityU had the opportunity to study in England for one semester. Her experience, like mine, was filled with moments of laughter and tears; all of which equated to the unforgettable moments that make us who we are today. She shared with me her experience and views of language that really resonated with me and made me feel the need to share it today.
Hong Kong is a land that encompasses two official languages (Cantonese and English). For this reason I feel we are all very desensitized to the fact that most locals are able to speak Cantonese and English. So when Hong Kong students go abroad and are able to speak English, foreigners may think nothing of it as Hong Kong had been under British rule at one point. The foreigner's mindset in Chinese would be expressed as "理所當然" (Lǐ Suǒ Dāng Rán) meaning things are supposed to be this way. However, honestly speaking Cantonese is their true mother tongue and that is what they speak 85% of their lifetime. Not only do traveling Hong Kong students make an effort to speak English while abroad, they also make an effort to speak English while in Hong Kong to foreigners who travel into their city but do not know any Chinese at all.
While my friend was abroad in England, she encountered a person that made a comment about travel in Hong Kong being difficult as many locals spoke very poor English and gave bad directions. Language, like respect, relationships, and honesty works both ways. Hong Kong locals do their part in speaking the language of the foreign country, now they're also expected to speak the foreigner's language in their home country as well?
What many people lack to see is that Hong Kong students spend countless hours and dollar bills improving their English so that they are able to compete with the large amount of foreigners who fly into their city and compete for employment. Many people are aware of the fact that students in certain Asian countries are stressed and pressured to the point of suicide. What many don't know is the reason behind why this phenomenon exists. I believe a large reason is because they need to compete with globalization, they need to compete with students who are native to the world language, English. Those who want to work abroad understand the difficulty in finding employment, but students who live in places like Hong Kong find it difficult finding employment in their own home country as the competition isn't solely domestic.
2. Classroom Etiquette
Despite the amazing time I had in Hong Kong, there were still a few cultures and customs I could not get used to and/or down right couldn't stand. The largest one being classroom etiquette. Personally I am someone who takes education very seriously; where some people pay thousands of dollars in tuition to buy their degrees, I choose to use that money to earn my degree. I understand that everyone has a right to do whatever they want during class time whether it be listening attentively to the professor's lecture or surfing the internet. However, the problem occurs when the things you do prevents someone else from getting the education they want and paid for.
Occurring in most lecture classes, there would always be several groups of students that chit-chat amongst each other using what they think is a whisper, but what others think is their normal speaking volume. The most ridiculous thing that occurred in one of my classes is a group of students, after finishing their presentation, decides to take a number of group selfies in the middle of class while another group is giving their presentation. Most others would be either sleeping in class, playing games on their phone, or surfing the web.
I personally don't believe this type of behavior solely derives from the students themselves, but the professor's as well. From what I've observed, many professors lack the assertiveness to take charge of the classroom. Some professors are aware of the side conversations going on during class but choose to ignore the problem with the intention of just getting through the three-hour class sessions. There is also no push, or sometimes even the opportunity, to participate and engage in classroom discussions to reach a deeper thought for the topic at hand.
Maybe deriving from grade school, where teachers don't emphasize the importance of classroom etiquette is how and why many local Hong Kong students today are always speaking when the professor is speaking and causing loud disruptions during class time.
3. Their Ability to Have Fun
What I admire the locals for is their ability to hang loose, act silly, and have a great time without the help of alcohol. Whether it be a Disco-Night at the student residence's multi-purpose room or a Preliminary Singing Contest for Hall 10 residents, "liquid courage" was never needed.
I believe this is the way that it is because of the idea of having thick skin. In Chinese it is expressed as "臉皮厚" (Liǎn Pí Hòu). The HK locals have the idea that its okay to act silly and go-all-out because deep down everyone wants to have fun, they're just waiting for someone to start the party.
At the beginning of my exchange, I had viewed this trait as childish and immature. To see college students playing the same games I would with the children at a Summer Fun program or performing some ridiculously silly cheers as if at camp again. But thinking deeper into it, these behaviors are just differences in cultures and societal norms that most westerners have with easterners.
4. The City that Never Sleeps
Whether a morning or night person, this city accommodates for everyone. Before leaving for my exchange, I was definitely a morning person. I would wake up around 7 o'clock, have breakfast, go to school, hangout with some friends, sleep around 11 o'clock. However, during my Hong Kong days I would wake up around 8 or 9 o'clock, get some brunch, go to class, get some work done, hangout with friends, and sleep around 3 o'clock the next morning.
Why the dramatic shift in sleep schedule? For some unexplainable reason, Hong Kong students like to work during the night, sleep during the day, and attend classes in the late afternoon. However, the older generations like parents and grandparents like to sleep early and wake up early. In Chinese, this is known as 早睡早起 (Zǎo Shuì Zǎo Qǐ). Those who like to wakeup before the sun comes up are able to grab Dim Sum as early as 5 AM, go the wet market to get groceries for that night's dinner, and practice some Tai Chi at their local park.
Waking up at 8 and sleeping at 3 meant I would get only 5 hours of sleep every night. How I was able to function on that little sleep, I am to this day still unsure of. However, I do believe the bright lights from all the sky scrappers was definitely a factor in helping me stay up to the wee hours of night. Many people also think its something in the milk tea or coffee milk tea combo that keeps everyone awake; but of course that's just a theory.
5. Home
I was truly blown away at the amount of acceptance and love that Hong Kong had shown me during the time I was there.
Coming from Hawai'i, I am no stranger to what hospitality and Aloha is. Going into Hong Kong a place where locals are known to look down at their phones at the sight of a struggling tourist, no one would expect local students, store owners, and everyday community members to be as friendly as they were. When purchasing a simple ice cream cone at a local mom-n-pop shop I would be able to have small talk about his shop and the hardships in owning a business today. While opening my bank account abroad, I had received many food recommendations from the person assisting me after she had learned I was an exchange student.
The best take-back from this experience was definitely the lasting friendships I've made with my fellow Hall-mates. Not only did I spend all the major holidays with this group of people (Christmas, New Years, my Birthday), I also had dinner with them every night, they took me to famous local food stalls, we also vacationed together to Macau and Japan.
The sweetest moment of all was when they all willingly, without me even asking, went to the airport with me to see me off. With everyone dressed in our red Hall Ten T-shirts and the men taking care of my luggage, I was able to feel the love everyone had for me and how much we would all miss each other once I got on that plane.
I think a large part of why I was able to experience all that I had was because I was able to speak Chinese. But in actuality, whether I knew Chinese or not wouldn't have mattered because I was able to make the connections that I did because I stepped out of my comfort zone and took the initiative to get to know them before them me. This is my recommendation to all travelers who are looking to make lasting relationships with people from around the world.
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