February 1999 Hong Kong in their eyesBy Joey YuLeaving their own countries and social circles, the following foreigners came to Hong Kong with different reasons. Some came for money, some came for special experiences and some came for a better career. No matter what reasons they have, they surely have different impressions of Hong Kong.
"Living here is more stimulating than in England." Up to now she has been here for four years. Her major cause of staying was to make money. But she admitted that living in Asia was a very enriching experience. In England she was a judge's assistant, but now she works in a pub in Wan Chai. Since staying here, she has had more opportunities to approach the Chinese. She enjoys their sense of humour and generosity. But there are some things about Hong Kong that she dislikes, such as being pushed and shoved in the MTR. She also dislikes the rude taxi drivers and people shouting at her in Cantonese. "They think that this can make me understand the language."
Mr. Stobie used to have a balcony in his house in London but it is no longer the case after he had moved to Hong Kong. "I need space as I am big. But I can sacrifice my need for space in order to have a good life," said Mr. Stobie. Living in Hong Kong for these years, Mr. Stobie observed that there were many differences between Chinese culture and western culture. "One of my neighbours lives with his grandfather and grandmother. It is the Chinese culture that three generations live together. "For us, we live separately and move on to distinct places to experience different culture," he said. Regarding his impression of Hong Kong people, he thought Chinese were willing to give and be considerate. "The British always think of making money but the Chinese take the responsibility to look after their families."
At that time, he came to Hong Kong alone, with the clear goal of developing his music career here. In order to make his life easier here, he studied hard to learn Cantonese. His friend suggested a Chinese name to him, Ho Kwok-wing. But the road to success was rough. "During the first two to three years, I had a hard life here," he said. He wrote self-promotion letters to TVB, a local TV station, but there was no reply. Luckily, the local TV station was looking for a foreigner who could speak Cantonese fluently to play a role in its TV drama series. He succeeded in getting that role after casting. However, in Hong Kong, the salary for a green actor in a TV drama was low, so he needed to have a subsidiary job. Therefore he started his business six years ago. Unfortunately he has been losing money becuase the business is not good. Now he plans to terminate the business. He seemed to be pessimistic about Hong Kong's future. Said he: "Rich people become richer and the poor become poorer." He also criticized Hong Kong people for their selfish behaviour. "Drivers throw cigarettes at the entrances of tunnels. They do not switch on the traffic indicators when they change lanes because they care about themselves only." He thought that Hong Kong was no longer a shopping paradise as all things were too expensive and the varieties of the products were very limited. He commented that people engaged in the service industry were not polite to their customers. Said he: "People always talk about courtesy but they just do not know what it is."
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When Ms Julie Buckley first came to Hong Kong from England for a
holiday, she did not know she would stay in this city.
Five years ago, Mr. Stuart Stobie came to Hong Kong and aimed at money
since he could earn a higher salary here. Five years have passed, and money is not the main
reason which makes him stay.
"I arrived in Hong Kong at around nine o'clock in the evening on
31st of May in 1987," Mr. Gregory Charles Rivers said.