As in any country, one needs certain life skills to have a pleasant life, or to just plain survive. Here is my progress report on these skills as they relate to Hong Kong:Skills Previously Mastered
- Uses chopsticks to eat, and often to cook.
- Embraces nose-to-tail cuisine; unafraid to eat strange animal parts.
Skills Acquired
- Presents and receives everything with both hands, particularly gifts, money, and business cards.
- Converts units: HK dollars to US dollars, Celsius to Fahreinheit, inches to centimeters, etc.
- Maniacally pushes the "close doors" button on elevators immediately after entering.
- Able to board and exit MTR trains without looking up from cell phone or taking the least notice of surroundings. Instinctively knows when the train will stop at the desired station.
- Eats neatly in restaurants despite lack of a napkin.
- Able to say "hello" and "thank you" in Cantonese to concierge without her bursting into giggles.
Skills To Learn:
- Spend an entire day in high heels, using public transport, without begging for mercy.
- Decipher and utilize bus schedule.
- Vanquish enemy, the washing machine.
Posts
