Hong Kong is an incredible city. It’s full of energy, hustle, chaos, inspiration and one of the most stunning skylines in the world. It’s a unique, cosmopolitan city loaded with ancient Chinese traditions, an exciting British influence, and lots and lots of delicious food. My husband, two kids, and I moved to Hong Kong from Los Angeles a year ago. And as is true with any move, it takes some time to learn the ropes in a new city. And when the new ‘hood is in a foreign country, there’s a sharper learning curve, a longer adjustment period, and way more swear words. (Sorry, kids.) Raising kids in Hong Kong has been an exciting adventure, and as a first-timer, I've definitely had my fair share of learning experiences.
Coming up on my 13 month in the Fragrant Harbour (“Hong Kong” in Cantonese), I'm still far from being a local, but I do feel like I know what’s up now and how to navigate the city with kids.
Here are 11 things that only those raising kids here in Hong Kong would understand.
4
Sand. Flies.
For the first few months we lived in Hong Kong, I thought it was mosquitos who were waging war against our flesh. After trying every mosquito repellant on the market and even searching Amazon for mosquito nets (seriously), I eventually found out that the little bugs covering every inch of our bodies with insanely itchy bites were sand flies. And strangely, the winged creeps seem to always lurk around parks and playgrounds. We've now learned to stockpile sesame oil, which supposedly repels the flies, and cover every inch of my kids’ skin when we go to the park, but they still manage to leave constellations of bites all over our legs.
5
Running Errands Is Basically A Sport
Shopping for groceries, or really anytime you shop for more than just one single item, even if the items are related, will definitely require visiting more than one shop location. There is no Target, no Walmart, no CVS. There are no one-stop shops here in Hong Kong, which is awesome, but totally inconvenient when you're raising a toddler who requires toys, her favorite snacks, and clothes every time she grows. If you need birthday candles, Wet Wipes, and scotch tape, well ... see you in 5 hours.
6
You Always Need Air Conditioning
The nonstop air conditioning isn’t an easy one to get used to, but the A/C units are always running in Hong Kong, which means you've got plenty of chances to question what just fell on your head from the sky: dripping water, bird poop, or something more heinous than I'd care to admit. Lucky thing is that it'll mostly always be the drip.
7
You're Going To Bump Into People, No Matter How Careful You Are.
Remember how impossibly hard it was to get around with a stroller? Turns out that just navigating anywhere around Hong Kong is virtually impossible without bumping into someone.
8
You Really Can't Predict The Weather
When deciding how to dress your child for the day, a simple look out the window at the way the people on the streets are dressed will do you no good at all in Hong Kong. Sorry, but that's just the way it is! At any given time, during any and every season, you will see people wearing puffer jackets. It could be 40 degrees, it could be 90 degrees, you will never know.
9
Avoid The Wet Market With Kids
I, friends, had to learn this message the hard way. Hong Kong is full of wet markets, set in busy areas of the city that you often must walk through to get to where you need to go. These markets sell fresh fruit and veggies, but they also sell fresh fish, meats, and poultry. And that fresh fish, meat, and poultry is loudly and, well, very naturally displayed. (They call it a “wet” market because the floor is always wet from being hosed off.). And it traumatizes your children. Every time.