[HKNewBi]

Originally Posted by Laughing_Monkey

In the words of the great Samuel Johnson,"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."

It is not where you are but what can be made of it...

The thread is 'why come to HK'. People are just expressing their opinions - readers can take from them what they will. When I was younger and single, without kids, safety for me wasn't a concern for me in London. Now I have a young daughter, I very much needed to move out of London due to frequently seeing petty crime, which I felt wasn't the place for a young girl to grow up. Of course it is all relative but it is also a valid question to ask.

[smudge]

ex-londeners unite. It appears from this thread there isn't much to life in london anymore. I'm not a londoner - in fact i'm of one of those poor criminal souls you guys shipped out to the land down under two hundred plus years ago.

London was hip decades ago when the floyd said "tonight - lets all make love in london" but alas my northern brothers and sisters - all the love has gone.

I think the fare has gone up - but a while ago the twenty pound one way ticket to Sydney by ship created a life to live for.

London: a great place to visit - but hey who can afford it or who wants to spend the money on it. Go south my friends. Stop in asia to sample real food then continue south and get lost in the desert, look at a billion stars, eat even better food and drink some of the best wine in the world at prices Robert Parker uses for lose change.

[Fang]

I fell in love with China. I visited in September 2005, and found a transfer job in my company to start February 2006. I know many will disagree, but i think China is beautiful and facinating. Hong Kong is fine, but ideally I would live in Shanghai, Beijing, anywhere in Yunnan, or anywhere in Sichuan. I am hopeful all the downsides of Hong Kong can be balanced by the plus sides on the mainland.

[Laughing_Monkey]

Originally Posted by HKNewBi

The thread is 'why come to HK'. People are just expressing their opinions - readers can take from them what they will. When I was younger and single, without kids, safety for me wasn't a concern for me in London. Now I have a young daughter, I very much needed to move out of London due to frequently seeing petty crime, which I felt wasn't the place for a young girl to grow up. Of course it is all relative but it is also a valid question to ask.

Hey, i was just trying to restore the balance to this thread which is fast turning into London bashing. Anyway, its pretty obvious that most people come to HK for the money and/or the experience.

As for safety, whilst petty crime is higher in London, thats dwarfed by the health risk of living in HK. I was fortunate in that when i was young my parents moved us out of London to the city to the countryside so we could have a better quality of life. Of course, as soon as we were old enough we went back to the city because thats where you wanna be when you go to Uni or start a career.

[coolgirl]

a new promising job brought me here. and it's sooo near to home

[Expatriate]

I came back to Hong Kong because I got tired of China. In Hong Kong I have a different sense of freedom than in China.

[Mercedes288]

Originally Posted by goodkarma

Some of us come here and get stuck because after opening businesses found the work culture here to be so inept that we can't leave. Our businesses are hard to sell because we should have been able to do triple the business.

It is the most dissappointing part of my life in Asia. Boring if not just plain ornary staff.

I'm reviving an old thread...

I know how you feel but don't think of it as "getting stuck", instead, try to take whatever initiatve is necessary to work around your problems; eventually you will get to the solution. Virtually everyone can start a business but most will fail because too many people let circumstances control them, not the other way round. Read the biographies of Donald Trump for instance, or Li Ka-Shing or dozens other Indian tycoons and moguls in the steel and textile industries to see how they make it to the top. You will realize what makes these people so successful is that they avoid the finger-pointing and that they take and accept personal responsibilities. You never hear them say "should have" or "if only".

If you keep having this victim mentality, yes, you WILL get stuck and won't be able to get out. There really is no such thing as "can't". Don't be a victim of circumstance...

As for myself, I'm not in HK...yet...but will be back looking for a job in a couple of months.

[kk.carter]

Thought I might change the topic a little

I actually followed my boyfriend out here. It was a dream of his since his first visit 5 yrs ago. Beyond that, it turned out to be a great career move. Hong Kong is the fastest growing area in my field.

As an american my overall awareness of world outside the US was fairly stereo typical. i'm glad i stepped out.. and i like the opportunity to explore different countries around HK

i love the culture out here, and have to agree on the safety...

for me this was a chance of a lifetime, and I enjoy every minute

[Mat]

Originally Posted by kk.carter

Thought I might change the topic a little
I actually followed my boyfriend out here. It was a dream of his since his first visit 5 yrs ago. Beyond that, it turned out to be a great career move. Hong Kong is the fastest growing area in my field.
As an american my overall awareness of world outside the US was fairly stereo typical. i'm glad i stepped out.. and i like the opportunity to explore different countries around HK
i love the culture out here, and have to agree on the safety...

for me this was a chance of a lifetime, and I enjoy every minute

It is so good to read you !!! One of the very few reply or thread that is not about complaining, racism, delivery problem, mobile problem, local in the MTR, the inadequate usage of the gweilo term... else...
Thanks again !

[sunniefaith]

Moved to HK for a change of environment. Wanted to experience what's like working in a different country. And of course, money is a factor too. Been here for a month, HK has been good to me so far. Not complaining, except wish that there are more restaurants that have English menus.