by Margaret Anne Lamb
I could go on and on, but these ones stick out to me the most!:
Unless you receive excellent service, it is not custom to tip. This also means that waiters and waitresses do not check in during your meal to see if you need anything. Most places I have to flag down the waiter to order or pay. Free refills also do not exist here and to have a drink with ice is extra charge!
- People are buried vertically here. I was told that it is because Honk Kong is such a densely populated area. I live next to a cemetery and you can tell that they are buried vertically because the tombs are so close to each other and run down hill.
- Hong Kong has the most public holidays…14 I believe. They celebrate both Chinese and English holidays. In just 8 weeks, I have been here for 2 public holidays!
- Monolinguals are almost non-existent. The only people who only speak one language are “expats”…this is the term people here use for foreigners. Everyone here speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, some English and sometimes even 2-3 other dialects of Chinese.
- Sunday= Maids day. Most families here have a maid/helper that either lives with them or works for them part time. The helpers are usually from the Philippines. Every Sunday, all of the maids have the day off and gather all over Central. The women line the sidewalks and play games, bring food and gather with each other for the day. It’s interesting seeing thousands of women line the streets…especially in this heat!
- Umbrellas are a necessity. It rains almost every day here; it is currently typhoon season. I quickly learned how essential an umbrella is! People don’t just use them in the rain though! The people here, especially the elderly use umbrellas on a daily basis and every time they are in the sun. The elderly also use them as canes, which I think is a funny/cute site to see. Some of the umbrellas are stunning…who ever thought you could use “stunning” to describe an umbrella?
- Two different times now I have been to the beach and people ask to take pictures with me. They take turns posing with me with their peace signs up…I think this is hilarious. The first time I was laying on the beach (almost asleep) and a woman laid down in the sand (in pants, shirt and sneakers holding an umbrella) to take a picture with me. By time I was aware of what was happening she said thank you in Mandarin and ran away.
- McDonalds delivers….yes, you read correctly. I didn’t believe my eyes when I saw this! McDonalds has mopeds that zig and zag through traffic to make fast food even faster.