Unique Impressions, Pedestrian Walkways, Bloody Fun

Welcome to Hong Kong, I told myself as I stepped off the runway of Eva Air just one week ago. Where to begin?

hustle | bustle | noise of the city | fascinatemethrillme

So a few notes about the strangeness of coming to a new city, and a foreign land. For one, the way a person crosses the street. When I was in California, I would rarely walk anywhere except to enjoy the landscape. When in Hong Kong, I am walking through the city to travel from point A to point B. Normally, the walking at "home" in the United States would include a cappucino and perhaps a book, with a final stopping point at which to sit and watch the sunset or open the pages of that book. That was my Newport Beach routine. Here, I may travel to the MTR (the subway) to get to Wan Chai or Sheung Wan to look at flats in the nearby area, walk from the Yaumatei station in Kowloon in order to get to school, or walk down the road to an internet cafe or coffee shop to check my e-mails. I suppose I continue to sip cappucinos, although admittedly, I had to cut down caffeine almost immediately on the budget in order to save costs. The way I cross the street is different as well. I brush my hand lightly over this yellow box, instead of pushing a button. The signal lights up in Chinese red characters and English lettering which politely say, "Please wait." I wait and the little green guy appears across the street with a familiar clicking sign, telling me to cross. The pedestrian crosswalks look much the same as the U.S. crosswalks, however the simple technology advancements of the hand "brushing", versus the button-pushing in America makes me think I am really am in a new territory with new rules. Technology. Gotta love it.

Simple enough, right? Okay. Next item of difference. This may not seem like a big deal to a resident expatriate (expat, as we are affectionately called) from the UK, but for American expats the cars are driving on the opposite side of the road. It reminds me of London. The first few hours of walking and moving around the city make one disoriented. Then you adjust. I've already grown accustomed to looking right, then left, instead of vice versa. However it is a phenom of small proportion. One to laugh about. More importantly, the type of people I've been meeting are so varied. I was introduced to several people already from a friend I have in Hong Kong. Friday night included dinner at Tokyo Joe's, a Japanese restaurant of sorts, to Racks, a billiards spot with good cocktails and interesting faces. After Racks, one saunters over to Volar, which is a difficult spot to be admitted unless you know someone. Apparently, I've networked with the right people. Unlike home, the night is just beginning at 12am in Hong Kong, whereas Newport Beach always seemed to be "popping" around that time, but guaranteed, all crowds are pushed home at 2:00am unless you want to grab a 24-hour pizza at Laventina's. Not so here. The closest thing I might be able to compare in the city that never sleeps - New York. Living in a big city has its advantages - cuisine, convenience, transportation, culture, interest, nothing dull in any minute. Living in a bit city has its disadvantages - pretension, arrogance, clutter, smog. The intangibles seem to outweigh the bad. As far as the variance of people, I would say that Hong Kong attracts an intelligent plethora of educated persons, some genuine and some not quite so genuine. I have much to learn when it comes to knowing the nuances of graciousness, levels of manners, culture, when to say yes, when to say no, and how this affects a basic conversation to one that is more than simple acquaintance.

After one evening, I found myself almost pushed into a wall when I was trying to dance. This young girl not much taller or bigger than me wanted to push inbetween the crowds instead of going around the crowds. This is much like my experience on the streets of the city. When one is walking on a sidewalk, there is often a push - not a gentle push, but not quite impolite either. It is just the way of things. People are used to getting their way around here, and taking it, rather than asking for it. One must get used to it. Over the weekend, I attended an event across the harbor in Macau, and there was an afterparty at the Hard Rock Hotel where I met another English teacher and another two people who were closely connected to teachers. I met with a lot of friendly outreach and enthusiasm for teaching, and it seemed these people were interested to know more about my experience in Kowloon. (I don't have much to say since work will not start for another week.) However, the ability to network with such unique faces - many are from around the world - and so easily, it astonishes me. I love surprises. But, I really love good surprises!

In conclusion, I will say that at the start of my second week, I am ready to begin settling in. When I have a few downloaded photographs of the city, I will add them to the blog pages, but for now, I will say that the city has grabbed ahold of me. I am content.