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Happiness in Hong Kong for Expats

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  1. #1

    Happiness in Hong Kong for Expats

    A bit of a random post, but for expats new and old to HK, how is living here having an impact on your happiness and emotional well-being?

    I've been living here for a year and a half now, moved from the Middle East where I resided for 5 years (loved it!), and London before that where I started after university. I am on a pretty decent expat package out here with an engineering firm, yet find myself having a love/hate relationship with this city. I can't figure out exactly what it is, and I do have many things to be grateful of, but recently, most days I find myself loathing this city. So far, can boil it down to the overall cramped living standards compared to other places I've resided, as well as the mass-consumerism and endless crowds everywhere. Also, having lived here for a while, can definitely say I still feel like an outsider and not really part of any social scene.

    Is it just me or does anyone else have similar views and experiences. Would be interesting to hear. Thanks for reading!


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    14,414

    Yup 7 years in HK next month.
    And I'm done with HK.

    Office Politics
    Cramped conditions
    No awareness of personal space
    Pollution is finally getting to me
    Lazy ass people in recruitment and HR.

    Moving back to London early next year.
    Only a great job offer would make me stay


  3. #3

    Congrats on the move - sounds like you know what you're talking about with nearly 7 years under your belt here.

    Thanks for your insight. I am still unsure about this city. My contract renews on a year-by-year basis and I'm certain I'll get another year, but really want to be certain whether I want to stick around.


  4. #4

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    I think Moving07 said it best a long while ago. The ability to survive (and even enjoy) HK depends on your ability to develop a kind of selective vision. That is, to be able to ignore the things that bug you and focus on the good aspects of living here. Been here 10 years so far and still enjoying it.


  5. #5

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    I did 6 or 7 years and it never really felt like home. Yet there are plenty of others on here who I feel would call it home or at least a reasonable temporary home. For me it was also the cramped conditions, the crowds and the pollution. I guess if you lived out in the sticks then the first two would be easier. The other problem for me, as mentioned above, was an inability to mix comfortably with the locals.


  6. #6

    @jmbf - thanks for your reply. That's sage advice, which is why I said in my original post that I have a lot to be grateful for. I guess your advice does apply to a lot of encounters in Hong Kong, but how does one ignore, for example, the lack of things to do out here? My social life appears to revolve around Soho these days, and having gotten LKF out of my system in my first couple of months, there seems to be very little else to do, unless getting plastered every night is the agenda. I have started to do a lot of hiking and cycling, but alas, its all very samey... And I can't imagine you can ignore the pollution unless we go down the gas mask route.
    @hullexile - cheers for the reply too. I have to admit I am a long way from calling this place a home. I feel too its hard to socialise with the locals. I work for an engineering firm where all documents and drawings are in English, yet meetings and day-to-day conversations are all in Cantonese. For a city that calls itself Asia's World City, it's very strange.

    Last edited by SL_BBC_in HK; 15-12-2014 at 08:59 PM.

  7. #7

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    as you probably know by now, it takes more time than 18 months to settle down, especially as you don't speak/read the language. Still many things to discover.

    I enjoy watching the Sunday congregations in Central and Victoria Park.
    Given that a lot of problems are about what the mind knows and is used to, I am sure those Philippine and Indonesian DH have only a fraction of your problems about living in HK.

    Lastly, as I have written before in other threads, no matter where you go the pain is about the same, just the components are different. Like if I went back I would trade fresh air for being milked left, right, and centah.

    Last edited by Morrison; 15-12-2014 at 09:48 PM.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by jmbf:
    The ability to survive (and even enjoy) HK depends on your ability to develop a kind of selective vision. That is, to be able to ignore the things that bug you and focus on the good aspects of living here.
    this statement holds true for all other cities/countries.

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by SL_BBC_in HK:
    @jmbf - thanks for your reply. That's sage advice, which is why I said in my original post that I have a lot to be grateful for. I guess your advice does apply to a lot of encounters in Hong Kong, but how does one ignore, for example, the lack of things to do out here? My social life appears to revolve around Soho these days, and having gotten LKF out of my system in my first couple of months, there seems to be very little else to do, unless getting plastered every night is the agenda. I have started to do a lot of hiking and cycling, but alas, its all very samey... And I can't imagine you can ignore the pollution unless we go down the gas mask route.
    As others have mentioned I think it does depend on how well you integrate here. I luckily managed to make friends (both local and expat) fairly quickly once I arrived. After that there was no shortage of things to do from dinner gatherings to house parties, going on Junk boat trips to the outer islands, hiking, hashing, attending drama performances etc etc. And don't forget there is a wealth of destinations only a short flight away (Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Korea etc) which are great fun to explore even if for a long weekend away.

    Regarding air quality, it is what it is. I find using a decent air purifier at home helps.
    shri likes this.

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by jmbf:
    I think Moving07 said it best a long while ago. The ability to survive (and even enjoy) HK depends on your ability to develop a kind of selective vision. That is, to be able to ignore the things that bug you and focus on the good aspects of living here. Been here 10 years so far and still enjoying it.
    I think this advice can apply to almost anywhere in the world you want to move to. No matter where specifically you want to move, that new place will have things that bug you, and things that you like and enjoy. Hong Kong is no different in that respect. The key is whether "bug you" overwhelm the "things I like" (i.e. more things bug you than things you like, or maybe the things that bug you weight more than the things you like).
    Last edited by Cho-man; 16-12-2014 at 11:43 AM.

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