Week Eleven - Cultural

The weather has been fantastic this week in Hong Kong and some of my friends and I decided to take advantage of the sun and go for a barbecue on Friday. We headed off to Clearway Bay which is situated in the outer Kowloon area of the city and is well-known for its beautiful beaches and picturesque headlands. We were surrounded by local teenagers at the beach, all having finished school for the day and obviously having the same idea as us to have a relaxing evening in the sun. There must have been at least 40 young people around the age of 15 or 16 and they were cooking food, having fun on the beach and enjoying themselves. 

After a while of cooking and chatting the topic of conversation between the international students (most of whom are from central Europe) got round to how if we were sitting in the exact same scenario in our respective countries, it would be very likely that the teens around us at the beach would be drinking alcohol and causing some unwanted disturbance. Now I know that the thought was a sweeping generalisation of youths in European countries, but to me there is a certain amount of truth in what was being discussed. We are all well aware of the poor publicity the youths get back home and certainly in England from time to time, however from what I have seen and experienced here, there never seems to be the same issues in the press or in society in general. Back home in Britain it is well documented that there is a real ‘teen drinking culture’, with reports showing that many young children get drunk around the age of just 13 or 14. From my limited experience here in Hong Kong this just doesn’t seem to be an issue. Teenagers and youths are afraid to get in trouble with the authorities, and there seems to be a certain degree of innocence among the young people of Hong Kong. When we have activities organised by the halls committee here, such as the spring dinner, games nights or just times when we get together as a group, alcohol is something which is never present and having it doesn’t seem like something which they view as necessary, if they are to have a good time. It certainly has been one of the cultural differences which I have enjoyed seeing in Hong Kong. Something I have also noted about the youth here is the very obvious respect the young people have for their elders. This is shown in small ways such as always giving seats up to those who are older on the trains and buses, regardless of the length of journey. The innocence of the Chinese young people and the visible respect they have for their people is something which I hope Hong Kong never loses, because in my opinion, the small things like this are what make a country stand out for all the right reasons.

Clearwater Bay Beach

Ola lighting the barbecue

Barbecue done.....great day

I had my first experience of being unwell during my trip here in Hong Kong. I was sick for most of the week and you take for granted how much you get pampered and ‘looked after’ by your mum when you’re sick at home! We don’t have any toasters here in halls (I have honestly never craved a nice slice of toasted veda as much!) so I had to resort to making toast on the frying pan because the Chinese food didn’t really appeal to me while I was feeling so sick! But I have recovered from my illness and I was well enough to visit the village of Stanley on Saturday. Stanley is a nice coastal village which has a very close resemblance to a coastal resort in Europe. Bars and restaurants line the sea front and I had the opportunity to have my first fish and chips since I left Northern Ireland.... I am not exaggerating when I say this, but it was the best fish and chips I have ever had!!! 

Stanley Beach with our friend Tuomas

Tuomas and Michael sporting some questionable shades....