We have been in Hong Kong just over two months now and although it’s still early days, it’s interesting for me to write about everything we have discovered since arriving.

Unsurprisingly, life is very different to how it used to be in Switzerland, but we knew this would be the case.  Unlike many expats, we made the choice to come here.  We wanted to experience life in a different part of the world, a different continent, a different culture and to expose our girls to a different way of life too.  They only have three and five more years left at school, and after that, who knows where we will all be.  But for now, we are here, in Hong Kong.  Finding our way in this vibrant and dynamic city and making it our ‘home’.

New beginnings

When visiting a new place you find yourself paying more attention.  You are more mindful of what’s going on around you, and more curious and that’s certainly the way it’s been for us.  I like noticing the small things, because fundamentally, I want to live in the ‘now’ and everyday there is the possibility that anything could happen.  I love that feeling about being here.  Of course we have to go to work and school each day but there is always plenty of opportunity for a bit of spontaneity to provide the balance between routine and adventure.

        

All experiences shape who you are and of course wherever you live there are going to be positives and negatives, good days and not so good, but nevertheless, there are lessons to be learnt from all of these.  The first few months in Hong Kong have certainly been a whirlwind (quite literally with the arrival of Mangkhut, the most powerful typhoon Hong Kong has ever seen) and at times it’s been frustrating, not to mention expensive having to start again.  Nevertheless, we do feel a lot more settled now and are ready to explore everything Hong Kong has to offer.

       

What it’s really like

Small

To say Hong Kong is a small place sounds strange, but in reality it is.  Just over 1100 square km that packs in over 7.4 million people.  How is that even possible you may wonder? Well, mainly by going up and being crammed into ridiculously small apartments.

Expensive

It’s also known as one of the most expensive housing markets in the world.  We were prepared to pay a lot for our apartment as we both agreed it wasn’t fair to bring the girls half way across the world to live in a shoe box.  You don’t know what ‘small’ living space is until you start looking here and many of the places we were shown had bedrooms with no space to lie down unless it was diagonally!  Space is most definitely a luxury so I consider myself fortunate that I do have to change power points to vacuum throughout (not that I do it very often.)

The apartment we chose is the same size as the one we had in Switzerland (so pretty huge by HK standards) but it’s two and a half times more expensive and four times more expensive than the mortgage we paid on our four bedroomed house in North London.  Anyway, it is what it is, salaries are higher and taxes are low so I guess it all balances out in the end.

Convenient

Another bonus is that it’s only five minutes on the bus for me to work and about ten minutes on the same bus for the girls.  We all have an App on our phones to tell us when the next bus will be arriving so we time it to perfection.

Hong Kong fun facts

Hong Kong has 317 skyscrapers above 150m more than any other city in the world (best appreciated after dark in one of the many rooftop bars)

Hong Kong has 8000 buildings with more than 14 floors; double that of its nearest rival NYC.

There are 17 public holidays each year in Hong Kong, the highest number in the world. (and they are not all on Monday’s or Friday’s)

           

(Mid Autumn Festival Holiday – celebrating with lanterns and Mooncakes)

Hong Kong is home to the world’s highest swimming pool located on the 118th floor of the Ritz Carlton Hotel.

50% of the world’s population live within a five hour flight of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong has more Rolls Royce’s per person than any other city in the world.

Hong Kong may be known for it’s skyscrapers but 40% of the territory is actually country park and nature reserve.

Hong Kong’s Mid levels escalator is the world’s longest covered escalator.

There are 263 islands in Hong Kong.  Some of them are accessible by ferry while others are totally uninhabited and virtually unreachable.

Many apartment blocks and hotels don’t have a fourth floor.  Four in Chinese sounds like ‘death’ so it is considered an unlucky number.  Conversely eight means wealth and is considered lucky. (how lucky are we as we signed on our apartment on the 8/8/18 and we are on the 8th floor!)

Hong Kong is a food paradise and has one of the highest numbers of restaurants/cafes per capita and is also the place to eat the cheapest Michelin starred food on the planet.

International Life of adventure

Living somewhere, albeit for a short amount of time, is so very different to traveling/holidaying there and it doesn’t take long to decide what you like and what you don’t like about a place.  But to get the most out of life, I believe you have to keep your options open, be flexible about your thinking and never cut yourself off from any possibility.

Prior to moving here we had never been to Hong Kong, but we knew plenty of people who had. Many had lived here and everyone said ‘it’s amazing, you will love it” there was no negativity at all.

Life is a series of adventures with each adventure, a chance to have fun, learn something new, explore the world, expand your circle of friends and broaden your horizons….and this is why we are here.

Diversity

Hong Kong is such a vibrant, energetic city and so diverse.  It’s a bit like living in a bi polar metropolis where Western and Asian cultures combine.  It seems to be constantly changing and there’s always something to do at any time of the day or night.  Although the majority of the population is of Chinese origin (92%) there are all manner of cultural combinations with a significant presence from Britain, France, Russia, America, Canada, Australia and India.

All of these cultures are represented in the school I teach in and in the school my girls go to (where my husband also works).  Before we moved to Switzerland, we didn’t really think about what impact an International education would have on them, but it has far exceeded anything we could have even imagined.  I believe it has helped them to develop an enquiring mind, stimulated their open mindedness and given them an appreciation of different cultures and ways of thinking. In the world we live in today it’s more desirable than ever to understand the dynamics of cultures different to our own, so to be able to mix with people from a variety of backgrounds has been invaluable for all of us.  There becomes no ‘norm’ and what an opportunity to make lifelong friends with people from all over the world.

Day to day life

Safety

With two teenage daughters, safety is of primary concern to us.  According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), Hong Kong is ranked as the 5th safest country to live in the world.  They are happy to walk home alone, take taxis alone and travel on the MTR without fear.  The public transport system in Hong Kong is fantastic and so cheap!  MTR, trams, buses, minibuses, taxis and boats make it easy to get around and you can virtually be anywhere in under an hour.  No need for cash either as we all have an Octopus card (like the Oyster in London) that can be used for all modes of transport and even be used to pay for food and drinks.

Whenever you get lost you are never far from home. As long as you have $100 (£10) in your pocket you can get a taxi anywhere.  I’m usually only about $25 (£2.50) away from where I need to be.  Not having a car was strange at first but there’s no way I would want to drive here.  In the last two months since arriving, I think I’ve been in more taxi’s than I have in the rest of my life combined! Financially speaking, it’s still more economical.

We have noticed how independent the girls have become even in the short time we have been here.  Although they do still have to use their common sense in all situations, it’s definitely allowed them more freedom.

Why is Hong Kong so safe? I think it’s all about culture.  Violence simply isn’t the way things get done here.  Showing a lot of emotion is a rare thing.  Kids see their parents as reserved and relaxed, so they grow up seeing this as the norm.  The biggest safety concern is probably cybersecurity in the form of email and phone scams.

Efficient

With so many people living in such a confined space it’s got to be an efficient place for it to work…and it is.  Aside from banking (if you live here you will know what I mean), everything is quick, easy and accessible.

Fitness in Hong Kong

We are an active family that love the outdoor life so we needed to find out where we could get our fitness fixes. No problem. Firstly there are all those steps! It’s a hilly city so there are stairs everywhere.  One hundred and thirty up to our apartment for starters.  I’ve always walked a lot but the girls are definitely getting more steps in since they moved here from Switzerland.  With no car, they have to really.  Yes, there’s the public transport system to rely on but we still have to walk to the bus or MTR station and if the bus is still 20 minutes away, it’s often quicker to get to where you want to be on foot.

    

Urban to nature

Contrast in Hong Kong is never far away and I’m looking forward to many of the scenic surprises located in the beautiful natural environment far away (but not so far) from the hustle and bustle of the city. Up until now it’s been a little hot and humid to do any serious hiking but the weather in a few weeks time will be absolutely perfect and I can’t wait to experience many of the popular routes.  I am notoriously bad with directions though so I’ve just joined a hiking group that meets every weekend.

  

The fitness scene here is thriving. There are numerous sports team to join, boutique studios and gyms, self defence classes, yoga and pilates, anti gravity aerial classes, HIIT training, bootcamps, spinning and barre, rebounding, CrossFit, ninja warrior courses, under water velocity training, wellness festivals…I could go on.  I love trying new things so will be slowly working my way around all the fun alternatives in addition to my usual gym routine.

Try new things

I’ve already tried HYPOXI, EMS Training, been to the Sports Science department of the University for a DEXA scan, taken part in the largest outdoor yoga class I’ve ever been to and am booked in for my first aerial hoop class next week.  There are not enough days in the week for all this fitness fun!  I’ve only had time for one headstand opportunity since coming here but there will be lots more to come.

  

Shopping culture

Shopping (as well as hiking) seems to be the national sport here.  Saying that shopping malls are everywhere is no exaggeration. It’s very obvious the people here love to shop, there is a definite culture of consumerism.  In fact, in a recent survey, Hong Kong ranked at the top or second in 10 out of 12 indicators showing a tendency to spend excessively on material goods as well as an unhealthy reliance on shopping.  I’m presuming as everyone’s apartments so small, the one thing they can fit in, are lots of clothes.

Minimalism

About three years ago I read the book ‘The life changing magic of tidying up’ and without going into too much detail, it was the start of my mission to live a more minimalistic life.  It was easy in Switzerland because there isn’t really a shopping culture at all and all the shops are closed by 5.30pm and never open on a Sunday!  We did have to do a lot of shopping when we arrived as we sold everything prior to moving here so we didn’t have to pay for a shipment.  Even though we needed everything we bought, it did feel like we were letting everything get a bit out of control.  It’s too easy to buy things here.

Although the shops are many and are open all hours (some until 11pm), it’s a bit of an overwhelming experience. I don’t love shopping at the best of times but when you really need to get something you need, the last thing you want is to get held up by the ‘Hong Kong Shuffle’.  It sounds like some sort of new dance craze, but no, it is actually a thing and it’s a great description of the the way so many Hongksters (I think I just made that word up) troop around, heads down in their phones, walking at a snails pace totally oblivious to anyone else around them.  Having said this, it is pretty amazing just to observe the movement around the shops and streets as it all seems very ordered and fluid despite the huge numbers of people.

The shops are open really late at night but I did once make the rookie mistake of going to the shops before 10.30am only to find none of them were open.

Random observations and thoughts

I think I’ve gone on enough now for one post so I’ll finish with a few random observations that I’ve made over the last few months.

FASHION

I love the quirky fashion choices of many of the people here.  It seems like anything goes and it does inspire you to be a bit more adventurous with the way you dress.  Although I can’t see myself wearing a Hello Kitty t shirt and a matching tutu anytime soon, I’m not judging anyone who wants to.  I also think Mickey Mouse ears should be reserved for the under 10’s or you must at least be at Disneyland whilst wearing them.  But hey, fashion is a very subjective thing.

POLLUTION

Moving from a country with some of the cleanest air in the world to one with the some of the most polluted was obviously one of my concerns.  However, it doesn’t seem as bad as I thought it would be.  Some days it’s been really unpleasant but most of the time you don’t notice. One of the first things we bought was an air purifier for our apartment.  I also have specific supplements and essential oils to counterbalance the problems.

TIME DIFFERENCE

This takes a bit of adjusting to and I’m sorry to all those of you who I’ve Whatsapp’ed at 3am.  Being an expat for 6 years now means we know a lot of people in a lot of different countries around the world and its very confusing as to who to message or call at what time of day.

AIR CONDITIONING

I love walking in off the street or back into our apartment and being hit by that cold air.  Although it can get a bit too chilly if you’re sitting in a restaurant and haven’t brought any extra layers. (I don’t even have any extra layers at the moment)!

SUNDAY’S

This is the ‘helpers’ day off and they all get together to socialise, in large groups.  Considering there are over  380,000 of them (5% of the population), it’s quite an eye opener.  On one of our first Sunday’s here were mesmerised by the visual sight of all these women who seemed to appear out of nowhere.  They were sitting chatting, eating, dancing or sleeping on ripped up cardboard boxes or yoga mats, in walkways, parks, on stairs, benches, anywhere there was any free space.  It was quite a shock to see and also sad to learn about some of the situations these women have been forced to endure and their incredibly challenging lifestyle.  Most are from the Philippines and Indonesia, two thirds are mothers who have been forced to leave their young children just so they can afford to support them.

TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES

With our first half term in sight, we have already begun to think about the travel opportunities we are going to have living in the middle of Asia.  Flights are relatively cheap and there are many amazing places even within 3 hours of Hong Kong.  People think nothing of flying to Singapore for the weekend.  One of the countries I can’t wait to explore is Japan.

THURSDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Thursday’s are the new Friday’s and we have dedicated Thursday evening’s to checking out all the amazing rooftop bars and restaurants.  Three down, so many more to go.

        

Breaking out of the comfort zone

Moving to Hong Kong has already started to make us examine life from a different perspective.  Observing how other people live in a very different place from where we have come from and embracing all that Hong Kong has to offer is going to be a very rewarding and fun filled experience for us all.