Friday 12 February 2010

Thoughts to fill the page!

Well here is my first entry, the aim, as the title states is to get something on the page.  Throughout my blog, my intention is to offer my views on the world, factually and a little satirically also.
So I have just about finished my sixth week in Hong Kong and different doesn't quite explain how things are out here.
The people here have a very different attitude on life, it is very much do your own thing, leave everyone else to it.   In Britain when someone seems out of place, maybe slightly deranged, people take the time to stop, and look, some may giggle, some may be completely awestruck.  Here, people just don't seem to care, the crazy guy outside the MTR station is just crazy. People just walk by and leave him to it.  It may be that people are far too busy here or it may be that they realize that what anyone else does that isn't causing them problems is of no consequence.
Second, spatial awareness, Asian people need to find some.  Picture the scene, me, a rather average sized but quite broad caucasian man vs. the tiny east Asian lady carrying her shopping.  It is like a game of chicken, and yet the consequence of the lady coming off worse  don't factor into her rationale as she maintains her course.  Consequently through guilt of what might happen if we do collide and also the fear that she may have some unknown strength, I always end up moving!
Classes are also very different here, 3 hours of what is essentially a lecture with a few questions thrown in.  I often end up feeling like a know it all as my local classmates are reluctant, at best, to answer questions.  My lecturer that happens to originate from the UK summed it up best when he claimed "Hong Kong students keep their brains in their feet!" That is to say, whenever a question is asked most students look intensely at their shoes for the answer.
Overall, life out here seems a lot more relaxed, its strange to say seeing as I have come to the big city from a little town.  It may be that because I don't live here, I haven't experienced HK in full force or it may be that people aren't as tense.  Certainly when the biggest political protest in HK in recent months is regarding a high speed rail network, it seems to suggest people are more content here.
I hope you enjoyed reading these ramblings, I'm off to Beijing soon, so Happy Tiger New Year!

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