Since I have always espoused the idea of “Living in the Moment,” the fact that this is a truly late post – like a month-late – should not surprise any of my Fab 4 followers. Needless to say, each moment spent anywhere – whether abroad or here at home – should be something to be savored and enjoyed to the hilt.
This week, I had the great opportunity to travel to Hong Kong for 3 days and 2 nights. As I usually do, I executed my “first in, last out” strategy which means that I took the earliest (if not the first) flight out of Manila and grabbed the latest flight from Hong Kong. Obviously, this gave me the most amount of time in Hong Kong.
My first interaction with a local was with the poker-faced ‘transportation’ concierge at the airport. She was very helpful though. The second local I got to talk to was with the person who sold/added value to the Octopus Card – their all-in-one commuter card which you tap at the turnstile or at designated points in the stations to give you access to their trains, light rail systems or buses. I should have realized then that she’ll be the “proto-type” of the other locals I’ll have the tough luck to be with!
Octopus lady blurts out, “How much?” before I could speak. I say I need to get a card, and she says, “How much?” like a robot. I say,”HKD100.” She says, “HKD150 cash” with her hands stretched out, I give her the money, she hands me a card and yells, “Next!” Huh! (As an aside, I did know that there is a HKD50 buy-in for the Octopus card.)
At first, I thought that it was just my personal observation (and believe me when I say that I am as objective as anyone can proclaim themselves to be). I’m wrong. Chatting on the train with some missionaries from America and from the UK, they asked, “Are you used to the pushing yet?” That merited a snort from me. What is interesting is that even in the hospitality business, they do not seem to be as “hospitable” as one would expect. One redeeming value I have observed is the fact that once you have ‘cracked’ the veneer of efficiency, those people I’d dealt with would usually warm up – actually opened up to me and would even smile while giving me information. Mind you – never to shoot the breeze.
For me, her way of doing her job is just her way. But it was the other interactions with many other locals that truly struck my ‘annoyance’ cord up. It was the lack of any semblance of personal space! Wherever I went, whether just walking to and from a location or standing in queue for the next train or just being in a queue, the HK locals like to stand right up your ass (pardon the French) or just that they actually pushed! But, just to give them the benefit of the doubt, I am pretty sure that they are oblivious of your existence while you stand in front of them! They seem to think that ‘crowding’ you would make the wait or the queue shorter and get them closer to where they want to go.
Come to think of it, since the ‘pushing’ as well as the ‘unreadable’ facial expressions are the norm among the locals I’ve encountered, this must be a cultural thing. My short research on the history of the Hong Kong Chinese – from the pre-British era through the handing-over of the territory back to China has been an eye-opener. Not only did I get some ‘education,’ I also got a “nudge” from my conscience. Never react to something new or different. Be open to something that is not the norm. Do NOT pass judgement. Why? Perspective. One never knows what preset norms other people are ‘working’ on. They may be different from yours – that does not translate to wrong. So yes, the poker-faced receptionist may have grown up during the British period of Hong Kong so their staid, non-smiling faces is the norm.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, this reminds me of someone who asked me, “Why are the Filipinos always smiling?” One word – RESILIENCY. Historically, when the Philippines was under the Spanish rule for 300 years, it became second nature for us to be ‘amenable’ to all the mestizos who treated the natives/locals like they were second-class citizens – if not as slaves. Due to the religious component, the natives were very partial to the Spanish friars who mostly had very good intentions. They would go about their day with a smile in their faces because they really cannot tell who among the mestizos were sympathetic towards them and who are not. So that mannerism was passed on to the next generations.
There is an innate goodness in all of us. No matter the barriers – be it language, ideology, religion, sex or race – God made us in His image. We can argue back & forth on that one phrase (italicized), but in the end, goodness rules in each of us (as God is good).
***https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hong-kong-ceded-to-the-british
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