[tyoung8]

Hi,

I've just been told I am to move to Hong Kong from London in a month. My worries and ills do not compare to those that have a month to move their families and find their kiddies schools to go to. I am only 24, and have no ties in London, where I currently live.
However, I am stricken with the usual fears, all of which i'm sure many of you experienced when you first came. So, here I go:

I am not on a massive bankers salary (I am a journalist) and will be on the equivalent of about 280,000 HK dollars. So for rent I guess I can afford about 7000 HK per month. With this in mind, where would you recommend I live? Alone in a shoebox on the mid-levels? Sharing an apartment with other expats on a nearby island? Can you even share with others, or is it a fairly solitary existence?

Also, from what I've read on this forum, the smog levels seem terribly high? Does this REALLY affect breathing and the state of your skin, etc or is it a case of (understandably) over-cautious mothers.

Can anyone help me out with where to socialise when I do get there?
Bearing in mind, I am not loaded, do not have a wife and kids, but do not want to sit in an air-conditioned fridge/apartment for a few years, eating toast and missing my family?

Thanks.

[KnowItAll]

>> Can anyone help me out with where to socialise when I
>> do get there?

Move to Kennedy town and the KTK will take care of your social life.

[sunniefaith]

Hang around Geoexpat and you'll make heaps of friends! And the smog is not that bad....It's over rated. Spore is worse at this point of time.

[goodbye kitty]

To put some fears to rest.....

I moved here last month with my husband (no kids). We don't have a massive salary either by expat standards. We moved to Kennedy Town which is a 10-15 min ride from central on the west side of the island. Rent is pretty cheap as far as I can tell. We pay just under 7000HKD for a small 2 bed, but it's clean and fairly modern. It's cheap to eat out in KT and you can get simple chinese food for 20-30HKD (£1.50) or splash out on an indian/steak for £3.50, it's cheaper than eating in.

In our 4 short weeks we have been out on 2 nights out organised by this site (keep an eye on meet & greet) and have met some good people (it's not all nerd talking about the state of the economy in neighbouring countries!) and we have a small circle of friends developing already. There are loads of other events you can get into through this site too, like team sports, sightseeing, language exchanges. There's no reason to stay couped up while you're here. Drinking is expensive by anyone's standards but HK is blessed with lots of happy hours so keep an eye out for the cheap drinks offers - remember when you were a student and didn't think twice about going into a bar and asking them what deals they had. Buying beers in is also cheap.

If you do land in Kennedy town, feel very welcome to get in touch!

Good Luck!

[KnowItAll]

>> all nerd talking about the state of the economy in neighbouring
>> countries

Oye! I resemble that remark.

[HKChigger]

I am paying $3500 for a rather small but nice place. I have a living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.

[orrock]

have you been told where you will be working? knowing where your work is may help you to decide on where to live. if you live near where you work you may save time and money on transport or even walk to work as exercise.

the pollution i encounter is from the cars buses trucks on the roads. after some time i got used to the smell. i think its bad but not terrible hk is a big city. there are some days when the sky is grey and you cant see into the distance but that doesnt worry me as most of the time the weather is clear.

i think its easy to socialise you can find people through sports, work and forums like this. there are places you can go to like public libraries, museums, music groups, further study, church, hiking, lan kwai fong. you can meet people with a shared interest.

[tyoung8]

Thank you everyone, for your kind response. Its certainly helped. Unfortunately for you, I'm going to keep pestering with questions.
Heres one:
I've been looking into where to rent, which is obviously a fairly fruitless pursuit from London. However, I've been reading about Lamma island and in terms of clean air, nice beaches and cheap rent, it seems brilliant. But i've also read that its fairly hippy-ish, and while I have nothing against bongo drums and inaction, I would like to know what anyone thinks. Is it a good idea? Are there any "normal" expats? Could I still go out in Central and get a ferry back? how good a house could I get?

Sorry for the constant questioning.

Thanks,

Tom

[lnasutong]

hello

that's quite interesting! in which area do you live ?
I'm moving to HK in 3 weeks and I'll have to find a flat by then, like your rent -3.500 to 5.000 HKD- it would be perfect!
I'm looking for something around Tsim Sha Tsui as my office is there.

Please let me know if you've heard any good offer there!

Bye
Elena