Reflections on Hong Kong and Macao
I just returned from a trip to Hong Kong and Macau for a Fulbright Conference, which was set-up for all the fellows from the Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan to network and present our research. 11 of us junior researchers took a short flight from Taipei to Hong Kong and within 1.5 hours, we were in another country, mingling with one another and finding out about how our lives had changed since starting our fellowships a few months ago.
Hong Kong is refreshing and exciting, just the right mixture of Eastern and Western culture. Walking around the city, we saw architectural details that could normally only be found in the U.K. Sometimes I would forget that I was still in Asia. It was only the Hong Kong pedestrians speaking Cantonese that kept reminding me I was only a few hundred miles away from China.
What struck me the most were the delicious aromas of baked goods. Yum... My nose was drawn into some stores to purchase sweets, typically difficult to be found in Taiwan. I had the best cupcakes called "Red Velvet" at a fancy bakery called "Sift." Normally not a cupcake fan, this one melted in my mouth and lit every sweet taste-bud in my mouth. Yumm..
Other than the food and shopping at H&M, I spent a lot of time just people watching. During the weekdays, you could see foreigners walking around in stylish business-suits and hanging out at restaurants or bars. Some were with their kids and families, a rare sight in Taiwan as most foreigners are young English teachers having a good time in Taipei. But on Sunday, a completely different population emerged. There were Filipinos everywhere eating out, shopping, and having a good time. Supposedly, most work as servants for wealthy businessmen, but they have the day off every Sunday, so every Sunday they come out and have fun. This was quite a spectacle as I suddenly couldn't understand what people were saying in Filipino. Hong Kong really had some cultural diversity, despite the class divisions by race.
Dr. Torres told me that Hong Kong is in the process of building their first veterinary school in the country and perhaps there might be a job for me in the future. I look forward to finding out if maybe this is where I might work in the next few years.