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Letters | Hong Kong exodus: think carefully before making that leap
- Questions of adaptability, discrimination, language ability and more must be asked before making such a momentous decision
- Packing up and moving to a new country is not a trivial matter and should not be done just to be part of the latest trend
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“To move or not to move” seems to be the hottest question in Hong Kong these days (“Thousands quit Hong Kong, saying it’s no longer the home they knew”, June 30). As a middle-aged citizen who studied in the United Kingdom for three years and with family and friends scattered across the world, from Australia and New Zealand to Canada and Singapore, I wish to say a few words on this issue.
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Racial discrimination is not a factor that should be disregarded. Would you mind if locals spit on you or assault you in the streets, ignore you in the shops, bully you in the workplace or school and so on just because you are of a different colour?
Adapting to a different government and systems for security, education, health care and so on can pose new problems. These affect your everyday life in a foreign country. Will you grumble or become depressed if things do not work out the way you expected?
Proficiency with the language and culture of the target country is important, too. You will find yourself seriously handicapped once you step out of your home otherwise. How can you build up good relationships with locals if you cannot communicate well with them?
Immigration is not a trivial matter. Do not rush into it just because everybody else is following the trend. Think twice before you make that decision.
Jacqueline Kwan, Sai Ying Pun
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