World Travels: Hong Kong

I was thinking earlier this year (2012) that I wanted to travel to Asia some time in my life. I had the opportunity a while back to go to India but chose not to pursue the option of living and working there with a brand new family. So when my manager, Jeff, called me and told me there was some demand in APAC for a class I teach - ITIL - I was very excited for the opportunity. I quickly arranged the flights to both Hong Kong in China and Melbourne, Australia. This involved applying for certain work credentials in order to legally be in those countries. Although I love my country, I also immensely enjoy learning from other cultures and visiting other places. It reminds me of just how alike we are and at the same time what variety there is in language, foods, architecture, transportation, etc, in the world. It opens the mind to opportunities and possibilities that are difficult to see when one does not change their drive to the office for years.

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I remember boarding the flight a couple days early because of the great time difference. The flight wasn't anything special. It was a huge plane. I don't remember being in a plan that big for at least 10+ years. One with three seats on the sides and six or so seats in the center. There were several movies and I worked hard to stay awake so that when I arrived in Hong Kong I could eat dinner and then still be tired enough to sleep through the night. I was successful thanks to three separate movies and the occasional in-flight meal. Maybe part of the reason I like eating on planes is that everything is miniature.

Once I arrived in Hong Kong I found transportation. That was a little intimidating. They DO speak English in Hong Kong, but it's not flawless and of course, you're the one looking crazy when there is a misunderstanding. The person at the desk asked where I wanted to go and efficiently placed a green triangle sticker on my chest - I had been branded. When my bus was ready, I boarded and we were off to the hotel.

It was a high rise hotel in a better part of town. I guess it was a commercial area, but I was told it was one of the better areas. I wouldn't expect anything less from Oracle. The hotel room was nice and I remember it had fresh fruit for you. A nice touch. There was also a universal charger in the room so I guess that is their main clientele. Although, I did learn that the Pacific countries do have a lot of shared business and there are people coming and going from Australia all of the time.

Breakfasts were always good at the hotel. A little expensive, but they had everything, fruit, all those great American breakfast items, and congee. I never did eat the congee because it just did not look good, but everything else was great. You learn to appreciate good breakfasts when you're traveling as much as I have been lately. Particularly when you're in a new place.

I had learned from one of those international business preparation courses online at Oracle that when you give a gift or a business card to someone in China you should give it to them (and receive from them) with both hands on the card and a lowered head. When the class started I did this as if I had done it 100 times and they responded in-kind and I found it a very simple and respectful gesture. If there's one word I would say to describe the people, it would be respectful. Now when I had heard I would be going to Hong Kong I thought my students would be emotionless sponges who learned everything I said perfectly and didn't laugh at any of my jokes. My was I wrong! They laughed and it was a really great teaching experience.

I made time to take a taxi up to the top of what I would call a mountain. It was really a beautiful place. I'll bet it was spectacular before there were buildings and such. It still is a really incredible view. Later, I tool a cable-car down the mountain - that was an experience! It was essentially a trolley and at one point we were at worse than a 45 degree angle going down the mountain backwards. Odd but effective!

Another day I took a taxi over to the temple and met some missionaries there. They love the people. It's so easy to see why - they are so humble and yet thoughtful and very family-oriented. I wondered how different it may be in the rest of China. Hong Kong was certainly a great place to visit.

 

One thing I really enjoyed was lunches with my classmates. We went to eat every day at one restaurant or another - all very good. We had asian buns - like the ones from Wow Bao in Chicago. It's nice to know that they really are authentic! The first lunch we went to I remember sitting down and every one of them (8) took out their cell phones and was looking down and typing away on it. I was so confused so I asked what they were doing and they told me that it is customary for them to go to lunch and for the first 15 minutes to get their phone-time in before focusing on the meal. I thought that was sure funny since you would never do that in a business meeting in the U.S.

I left immediately after class on a Friday for the airport - on to Melbourne, Australia!