Like Tree163Likes

Do you regret moving to Hong Kong?

Closed Thread
Page 1 of 19 1 2 3 4 9 ... LastLast
  1. #1

    Do you regret moving to Hong Kong?

    I have been thinking should we move to HK for a week now. Changing mind probably 50 times. Being a HK native and move to Boston for 13 years. I felt like HK has changed a lot since I was planning to move back from HK-3 years ago. Maybe because I has a almost 4 years old son, I worried that air pollution is not good for him. I worried that he couldn't get into a good school. We won't be living as comfortablely in HK than Boston. I kept asking myself why should I move now since my son can for sure get good education here.But is the international and muticulture for my son and being close to my family in HK really worth to move back? I used to think so but when opportuntiy comes, I really hestiate. My husband reassure me we can move back in 2 years if thing are that bad but I just have a hard time to put us into this test? I feel like a wimp.

    Football16 likes this.

  2. #2

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Pampanga, Philippines
    Posts
    29,766

    Do not feel like a wimp, you are just considering your child. Kids are resilient though, I just told my 13 year old that we were moving country again (her third move in 5 years) and she said "again? OK." No one can make this decision for you though.

    Natfixit likes this.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    51

    I don't think you are a wimp because it is a big decision and requires timely planning.

    It is tough with the school part. Maybe cause my kids (ages 4 and 5) have problems to begin with, but eventually I found a great occupational therapist and speech therapist for both of them. Took us 2 years of planning to move from Los Angeles to HK. My decision is family. I guess cause I moved a lot when I was a child and it is nothing out of the norm for me.

    Football16 likes this.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    6,745

    situation is you have to accept you can not have it all in life.
    What's more, people have different needs at different times.

    If I were you I would stay just for the sake of my son.
    Air pollution really is bad and I don't think it will change ( to the better! ) in the near to medium term future. I also would not want my son getting exposed to an overly materialistic society. I would let my son catch up with the multicultural lifestyle later in life.
    It's a trade off.

    Having said that, for me coming to HK has paid off big time as I have learnt an awful lot of things which I would never had bumped into if I had chosen to live in my native country.

    Last edited by Morrison; 16-11-2011 at 07:57 AM.

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    1,369
    Quote Originally Posted by maxmom0901:
    I have been thinking should we move to HK for a week now. Changing mind probably 50 times. Being a HK native and move to Boston for 13 years. I felt like HK has changed a lot since I was planning to move back from HK-3 years ago. Maybe because I has a almost 4 years old son, I worried that air pollution is not good for him. I worried that he couldn't get into a good school. We won't be living as comfortablely in HK than Boston. I kept asking myself why should I move now since my son can for sure get good education here.But is the international and muticulture for my son and being close to my family in HK really worth to move back? I used to think so but when opportuntiy comes, I really hestiate. My husband reassure me we can move back in 2 years if thing are that bad but I just have a hard time to put us into this test? I feel like a wimp.
    Your concerns about Hong Kong really are well-founded. Pollution, crowding, tiny living spaces, lack of choice in everything, etc.

    In addition, HK is not really multicultural in the conventional sense, unless you're thinking in terms of the HK vs. Mainland. Cities like Boston (or, for that matter, NYC and London) are much more multicultural than HK.

    If nearness to family still left in HK is the major issue, why not buy them tickets to come and visit you and your family in the USA once or a couple of times a year?
    WMDS, carang, Football16 and 4 others like this.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Tung Chung
    Posts
    435

    The only regret I feel about moving to HK is the air pollution. This problem seems to be getting worse. If you are worried about the health of your children and you live more comfortably in Boston stay there for a while and see how things work out for you. Another factor to consider is the age of your children. They may be at an age where uprooting them to live some place else would make them feel badly. My advice would be to stay where you are if you are living comfortably.


  7. #7
    Original Post Deleted
    I guess instead of muticultural, I actually mean living in a big city. The reason of moving back is my family really love my son. We have been traveling a lot in these past years to just let him know them.

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Kent, England
    Posts
    6,728

    I think in terms of your son's age he will be fine BUT finding a school may be your biggest issue.
    Re the age thing, my son was born in Japan and we left there when he was 4 to go to Singapore. Sure, at first he was upset at leaving his friends behind but he soon coped with that - then after only 18 months in Singapore we moved again. He took it all in his stride. He is an outgoing kid though, makes friends very easily.


  9. #9

    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    1,369
    Quote Originally Posted by maxmom0901:
    I guess instead of muticultural, I actually mean living in a big city. The reason of moving back is my family really love my son. We have been traveling a lot in these past years to just let him know them.
    Living in a big city is overrated.

    Imagine your son getting bumped in the head again and again by tourists on the sidewalks. Think about how he'll feel when he looks up at the smoggy sky and a big drop of something (aircon water drip or aerosolized gray water from leaking exposed pipes) drips into his eye. Visualize taking him to the dermatologist or respiratory specialist for the first of dozens of visits when he develops eczema, constant runny/stuffy noses, or worse. Think about what it would be like to make him stay up until 10PM studying for high-stakes exams repeatedly.

    If your family really loves your son, and I'm sure that they do, they wouldn't want to subject him to life in HK. At the moment, you're in a developed country with clean(er) air, more living space, a higher standard of living generally, and better future prospects. Moving back here would represent a huge step backwards in pretty much every respect.

    My wife and I are sticking it out for now, for purely mercenary reasons, but we'll be leaving HK either shortly before or shortly after we have children.
    Last edited by dear giant; 16-11-2011 at 10:08 AM.
    Morrison, dannycat and mrdollars like this.

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Posts
    5,110

    There is one thing about the local school system in Hong Kong. Students are subject to much greater pressure and stress then their Western counterparts. On the positive side, this produce students with better math and science knowledge then Western students (since HK students are rated highly in the world in those area). On the negative side, they produce students who only know how to pass exams and have very narrow vision of the world. What they value and know is in many ways very superficial. They cannot think "outside" the box.

    Last edited by Watercooler; 16-11-2011 at 10:21 AM.
    Morrison likes this.

Closed Thread
Page 1 of 19 1 2 3 4 9 ... LastLast