[mad]

Am wondering what is culture shock to you and what kind of things that shock and how you overcome these shocks during your stay in Hong Kong.

[mobespierre]

the belching and mucousy throat clearing sounds.... the occasional hole in the floor toilet....

it's not a matter of overcoming different things per se, rather just... getting used to them.

[ChatChat]

Originally Posted by mobespierre

it's not a matter of overcoming different things per se, rather just... getting used to them.

Well said -MOBESPIERRE- I think less judging and more acceptance will help you adapt to a new environment. It is obviously easier if you go to a place where you share a common language. While most business/documentation is conducted in English in Hong Kong, most local are shy in speaking English.

[bobbiesehra]

Hello,

I am in complete agreement with the above. I think people need to accept these differences rather then let themselves become overtaken by them. And the sooner you allow yourself to get over that hump (usually at three months from experience) the better you will be. My awakening occurred when I was in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Sham Shu Po market area: I was pushed around a few times and quite frankly getting very annoyed and taking it to heart. I then stopped to smell the bok choi: I saw an old lady, probably about 80 years old with her shopping trolley following behind her, she nonchalantly hit another ancient lady (about 90 years old) with her trolley really hard! The poor 90 year old lady winced for about half of a second and tottered on as if nothing had happened and that was my wake up call. If a cute old ancient granny can take it, then it must be water under bridge. I think most importantly we all have to remember that we are visitors here, and should always be conscious of that fact.

Cheers,
.............b

[donabel_beltran]

It's not really a shock, but more of a surprise -- the hefty food servings.

Coming from a culture where I was trained to eat every morsel on my plate otherwise I'll rot in hell for as many days as there are rice grains on my plate, you can guess how much weight I gained after 3 months.. :-(

[KnowItAll]

I've lived in HK for way too long to be shocked by anything local.

These days I get shocked when I travel overseas or deal with people from overseas who feel a little bit too entitled.

Go figure..

[MelissaM]

Darn... I had the same experience of being hit by a bloody trolley and mind you it really hurts and they never apologized....

Back in Uni days, I would have clobbered the person....

Now when I do super-marketing I will make sure I have the hardest shoe on!

Yes we have to adjust and adapt no point crying over the differences.....

[lowlight]

I filmed this yesterday:

(EDIT: Had to re-upload the video because the aspect ratio was wrong. Will update later)

[pin]

Not quite a culture shock, but waiting around for lifts has been an eye opener for me.

[dan_dan_boy]

Originally Posted by donabel_beltran

It's not really a shock, but more of a surprise -- the hefty food servings.

Coming from a culture where I was trained to eat every morsel on my plate otherwise I'll rot in hell for as many days as there are rice grains on my plate, you can guess how much weight I gained after 3 months.. :-(

Oh I know just how you feel.................when we go to a restaurant I try and eat everything on the table but alas the more I eat, the more they order .