The Difference

Maybe it's the jet lag, but I'm missing HK and I'm not sure why.

It's not because of how everyone drives like everyone has great life and car insurance. I've learned to jaywalk with such confidence that it scares me. Why didn't anyone tell me that large buses can swerve around cyclists at amazing speeds and with such flexible chassis?

It's not because of the holes in the floor that are incredibly poor excuses for toilets, although because my butt isn't touching anything, I wonder if it's actually cleaner and safer to do the squat? Nah! Give me my porcelain throne!

It's not because of the clean air. Robert Orben once said, "There's so much pollution in the air now that if it weren't for our lungs there'd be no place to put it all." I just know that I'm going to die at least six years younger from all that smog and second-hand smoke.

It's not because of that incessant beeping of the pedestrian walk signal for the vision-impaired. Oh that blasted beeping!

But, I see the attraction of HK. The exciting bustle of the crowds on the street , the cheap shopping , and the delicious food ! All my dad could think about was the "dan pei nai" and once I tasted it I wanted to savour it so slowly that my parents got up to pay for our snacks, not realizing that I haven't even finished half of it yet.

The people are incredibly friendly, too! I'm not sure what the right word is (uncultured comes to mind but that's not quite right because whose culture am I comparing them to?) and although I noticed that the people in HK/China spit constantly (all you Chinese people know that the old folks are experts at hocking lugies), talk with toothpicks in their mouths, stare, are too concerned with making money, very rarely say please, thank you, and excuse me, I also noticed how everyone seem to accept these so-called vices as their way of communicating. They are all friendly and quick to help. Russell Peters is right -- they know how to speak English in Hong Kong. The people in China are no different, especially the ones in the village. I see how little they have, but they know how to be content and they know how to be a family to one another.

I've learned so much where some of the Chinese stereotypes come from, but I've also learned why they continue.

There are bad drivers, but in all my time there, I had yet to see a single traffic accident -- everyone knew that cutting people off is a fact of driving (if there's space, why waste it?) and honking is courteous (not like here in Canada where honking is usually met or accompanied by a swear word) to let people know that you are behind them and they should be careful.

There are loud talkers, but how else can they be heard above the throngs of people in the streets or be heard across those vast fields?

Frugal spending is a must because otherwise it's no fun and we might as well be throwing away our money at the park.

Everyone rushes, even when speaking, but time is money and money is time.

The best thing was I knew my dad could act in his usual gruff manner and I wouldn't feel embarrassed by his behaviour. He was totally in his element.

Next time I'm in Richmond, I'll try to be more patient with the Chinese people.