A few days in HK so far and I hate it. Tell me I'm being ridiculous.

[Swannie]

Eh? Most of Calais speaks pretty good English ESPECIALLY the supermarket check-out ladies. Go to any Calais hypermarket on a Sat and you'll find more Brits than Frenchies!!!

Have we all forgotten that English is an official language in HK?

So because it's an official language, you think the general population will/should speak it? There's absolutely no good reason for most locals to speak English so why should they? HK is now China, the majority are far better off learning mandarin than they are learning English.

French is an official language in Canada and I can tell you that that HKer speak far better English than most Canadian speak French.

[Trance Omega]

French is an official language in Canada and I can tell you that that HKer speak far better English than most Canadian speak French.

Ever lived in Quebec and outside of Montreal? Go to Quebec city where 97% speak French and a great many of them don't even speak English.

[Trance Omega]

Eh? Most of Calais speaks pretty good English ESPECIALLY the supermarket check-out ladies. Go to any Calais hypermarket on a Sat and you'll find more Brits than Frenchies!!!

Well to be fair I haven't been there since the 80s and they certainly couldn't speak back then.

[richteralan]

Things I Hate About HK
-blatant and sanctioned classism/racism
-self-racism/white worship (I myself am asian american, specifically mainland chinese american)
-materialism, someone described it to me as locals are more "presentation" oriented
-pollution
-housing $$$
-fellow women seemingly mostly into either face whitening or shopping

Is basically everyone just living here for career/job/money reasons?

You don't want to know some HK local parents that I'm dealing with.

[HowardCoombs]

Me and my hubby are trying to find new things to do at the moment. Can anyone suggest anything (No rude remarks thank you:0)

take a peek at www.meetup.com
Lots of activities in there indoor and outdoor - active as well as sedentary.

[closedcasket]

So because it's an official language, you think the general population will/should speak it? There's absolutely no good reason for most locals to speak English so why should they? HK is now China, the majority are far better off learning mandarin than they are learning English.

French is an official language in Canada and I can tell you that that HKer speak far better English than most Canadian speak French.

I have kids who speak native English, and all my local friends want their kids to learn English. It is very important to locals that their children learn English. Like it or not, Cantonese only speakers are very limited geographically in where they can live and the language itself could be slowly phased out by the masters in Beijing.

[jimbo]

I have kids who speak native English, and all my local friends want their kids to learn English. It is very important to locals that their children learn English. Like it or not, Cantonese only speakers are very limited geographically in where they can live and the language itself could be slowly phased out by the masters in Beijing.

Make sure your local friends are learning proper English not the inferior American version

[whatuphk]

Haha re; the whitening creams...I spent ages on the beach in Sydney trying to work on my tan and I get here and mistaken for a Pilipino domestic helper!

[richteralan]

Haha re; the whitening creams...I spent ages on the beach in Sydney trying to work on my tan and I get here and mistaken for a Pilipino domestic helper!

LOL. Good one!

[Swannie]

I have kids who speak native English, and all my local friends want their kids to learn English. It is very important to locals that their children learn English. Like it or not, Cantonese only speakers are very limited geographically in where they can live and the language itself could be slowly phased out by the masters in Beijing.

Yes the more ambitious ones WANT to learn English as well as mandarin because speaking more than one language is an asset to anyone though most of the English speaking world often forgets about it and expect the world to revolve around them.

The point remains that this is China and they don't need to learn English if they don't want to and won't really need it in their everyday life unless they are part of the minority who comprises the upper class.