My blog from another life in Australia 20 years ago as a young university graduate hell bent on living in Australia, shunning the place I was born in- because of its politics -> as an architect and wife, then later, as a stay at home mom is here:
So HK is still fucked. But less fucked than it was before. So…. time to breakout the champagne! Any excuse to get shitfaced in the midst of this clown-car of a city-autonomous region-China-Whatever the fuck this is.
Still here, kids in the same school, husband has moved on to a different bank & loves the Japanese work culture in this place. In the last year, I’ve picked up Japanese and will stop short of the language exams at translator level, as that is not what I want to do. Hopefully that’s where we’ll end up next.
Almost 6 years in Hong Kong at its decline as one of the world’s best cities.
Hello, still in HK as we near the end of 2021. Kids in the same school, husband in the same job, we’re still living in the same building. Spent the last 2 years mostly at home and not socializing.
We’ve been lucky that it never got very bad with COVID here in HK. We made one last trip to Singapore in 2021 and tied up some loose ends with our bank accounts and government accounts. Honestly, the kids also went for interviews in UWCSEA, one was accepted and another was not. So we can't move in the middle of a global pandemic if only one of our kids has place in the school of our choice. And now, I’m glad to say we live in HK instead of Singapore. We love the school the kids currently are in. It's not perfect but it's a place that they're happy in. AND it's a place that HK parents with kids in local schools would break a limb to get their kids in.
Universal masking: the one factor that saved everyone in the early days. I thank most HKers for this. I did it too- You’re welcome.
The borders are shut to non-residents who are unvaccinated. 21-day quarantines for those from high risk countries. I’m grateful for these measures, because it keeps us all safe, the schools open, life goes on pretty normally. Tourists from certain countries cannot enter HK yet. This arrangement suits us- the city is quieter and more pleasant these days.
But it’s definitely given me a new level of respect ✊ for Hong Kongers, and for Mainland Chinese as well.
I hope everyone can live together in cooperation for a new future. I hope I don’t sound like a propaganda machine. If everyone respects each other, then there is hope.
The whole word blames Chinese people for Covid. For example: Americans (random people walking in the streets) seem to blame Chinese people (also just random people walking on the streets) for the thousands who lost their lives to COVID in the United States. Not because the average American cannot afford Healthcare. And not that their hospital system just did not work.
People with Oriental features everywhere else in the world will face some form of discrimination, vitriol, resentment from others. Abuse in all forms.
I get it, I DO get it.
I mean, I'm angry at the state of the world right now, too, thanks to unpoliced practices from a country that SHOULD tighten their control more. Not under any illusion that China definitely has the immense power and the resources to learn and grow a thousandfold from this. China: Not enough hospitals? We'll build some right now and it'll be done in a few weeks! Not enough doctors? We'll get the army to send doctors and medical interns and students where you need them tomorrow! 厲害. However, glaring weaknesses in the American Healthcare system were exposed to the world to see- and I wonder if, under their current leader, are they ever going to learn and fix those gaps? Hmmm. Nah.
And my great-great grandfather did come from China too. I am 华侨 and wherever I go, I'll get that abuse. So I'll stay put in HK and ride this out with my family.
Oh, Hong Kong parents. They try and try and then fly off on the wrong tangent. And then keep flying off further and further on that tangent. WHYYYYY. Tsk.
25 IB perfect scores in ALL OF HONG KONG.
27 IB perfect scores in ONE SCHOOL (Anglo Chinese School) IN SINGAPORE. I am sure that number is higner for ALL OF SINGAPORE.
Currently embroiled in a never ending red tape saga with 2 governments of countries which we lived in. Singapore and Australia. Got to renew our PR every year under a ton of paperwork.
Australia & Singapore governments are very advanced- they all have social media accounts, they all have online services and systems for everything.
Singapore especially has a super efficient system accessed using Singpass. EVERYTHING is efficient. Except if a little incident occurs that falls outside of their set processes, their system is not built to handle it. They refer to their upper management, who refers it to their higher management, CC the email to everyone in the universe, ask for double confirmations on everything. It's almost as if the individual human capital working in the company is devoid of any human ability such as: intuition, judgment, flexibility etc.
Hong Kong is the same as the above EXCEPT they don't bother to even refer to their upper management or CC the email. They just tell you: CANNOT in English. But there are ways around curveball incidents in their government system that I'm so grateful to HK's system for.
Australia, for the most part is excellent. Efficient- most problems are solved when speaking to a human. It's their processes that aren't as high tech. However the problem in Australia is the cost of labour. So overseas call centers for Australian services are very common. BUT there are people in Australia who still use the black & white fax machine, people working in offices who can't scan....
Japan- for all their lauded operational management processes, hang on to their fax machines and outdated people too...
