These Little Corners

 17 Sep 2018 | Veronica You’ve been in Hong Kong a few days, weeks, or months, you post online about this amazing adventure you’re on, and in so many ways it’s all the excitement you imagined. And then there are moments that you (perhaps inexplicably) feel disoriented, detached, depressed, isolated. It may be the way your colleagues and managers communicate at work. It may be going to the grocery store and products are arranged in different aisles. It may be not knowing where or how to run an errand that should be so simple. Maybe it’s hearing Cantonese all day, and your brain is exhausted from straining to understand something, anything. Despite how many places you’ve travelled or lived in, or even how long you’ve been there, culture shock can hit unexpectedly and inexplicably. It’s okay. So how to deal with culture shock? 1. Make friends with locals and learn/read as much as you can about Hong Kong. The more familiar your surroundings are the more comfor...

6 Sep 2018 | Veronica 1. East Meets West If you’re considering Asia for the first time, or if you’re a bit intimidated about culture shock, Hong Kong is the perfect place to live. Walk around neighbourhoods like Sheung Wan to see exactly how East meets West here as you pass a western coffee shop followed by a traditional Chinese medicine store side by side, hearing French, English, Mandarin, and Cantonese as you go. 2. Holidays, holidays, holidays! Speaking of East meets West… Thanks to recognizing both Eastern and Western festivals, there are 19 public holidays in Hong Kong. Teaching in a local school you can expect even more! Approximately 1.5 weeks off for Christmas, 2 weeks for Chinese New Year, and another 1.5 weeks for Easter. With this generous holiday time, you benefit from being able to take holidays longer than the average businessperson (making friends jealous and meaning you can book flights outside the worst of the peak travel times!). 3. Easy and afford...

29 Aug 2018 | Veronica Hong Kong is a very transient city and as a result the expat community is very welcoming. It’s normal to be invited to tag along to a birthday party, going away party, or junk party of people you’ve never met. You can easily find other new arrivals to the city – as lost and as keen to explore as you are. But let’s face it: we all have moments questioning who really would be there to answer our Whatsapp call when we really need it. Here are a few ways to branch out and find your ride or dies in the city. 1. Meetup.com Meetup.com is focused around specific interests, and you can find a group for just about everything. If there’s something you like that doesn’t currently have a group? Make it, and you’ll have people joining you in no time. 2. Lani This Facebook messenger bot is run by a group of people who wanted something similar to meetup, but not necessarily focused on one specific interest. Once you’re set up with the bot, you’ll get messages w...

29 Aug 2018 | Veronica Delete those photos from 3 years ago, get rid of that ex’s phone number that is just bad news in your phone anyways, do whatever you need to make space for these 4 apps to get you through daily life in Hong Kong. 1. Google Translate Don’t be scared to walk into restaurants with all-Chinese menus! Download Google Translate and get live translations just by holding your phone over the characters. Granted, the translations are far from perfect but it can usually help to know the basic idea. 2. TakeTaxi-HK Taxi Translator This app lets you to type in your destination in English, and then get large print translation for you to show the taxi driver. Future update is promised to include phonetic pronunciation for you to learn the Cantonese names! 3. Moovit Bypass Google Maps for Moovit in Hong Kong. Get more accurate route suggestions and live updates about bus arrival time for all the different transit companies in the city (although you’re...

20 Aug 2018 | Veronica After moving to Hong Kong on a whim, I knew very little about what to expect from the city. Two and a half years later, these are 5 of the unexpectedly awesome things about Hong Kong that I love the most. Enjoy! 1. Streets where all stores sell one type of product, and that's it. Looking for sneakers ? A plant ? A pet? Fabric ? New bathroom tiles? Chances are there's a whole street dedicated to it. Rows and rows of stores selling similar items, making your comparison shopping incredibly easy once you know where to look! My favourites? Pet Street (adorable puppies, tropical fish , tiny hamsters!), and Toy Street (a must-go for teachers looking for small, affordable prizes for students!). 2. Endless hiking, beautiful beaches When you think of Hong Kong, it's easy to think of skyscrapers, dense streets, and small living spaces. But did you know only around 25% of Hong Kong's land is developed? That leaves 75% left mostly as country parks...