Job Discussion Forums

[bgates276]

Hi,

I am interested in knowing what the living conditions are like in Hong Kong.

First of all, I know it gets hot in the summer. Are the schools air conditioned? I'm assuming almost all apartments will be.

What about toilets? Are there western toilets in the apartments and schools? I read that in mainland china, there are eastern toilets but you need to bring your on toilet paper with you everywhere you go, as it will not be provided in public places. I also read, that in mainland china, many of the older buildings do not have plumbing and you throw away your toilet paper in a basket, which can really stink. Are these things true in Hong Kong as well?

What about the water, is it drinkable out of a tap, or will I get sick? Would I need to buy bottled water?

What about internet cafes? Are they plentiful the way they are in South Korea, or should I really buy my own computer and get hooked up with internet access?

Do a lot people in Hong Kong smoke and do they do it indoors in public places?

Is the air pollution really bad or is it tolerable? Will I develop breathing problems if I stay too long? Should I buy one of those face masks?

Do most people speak English? Are the signs bilingual?

Please feel free to add anything else you can think of regarding what it is like to live there.

Thanks

[Perilla]

Hi bgates276,

To answer all your Qs would take more time than most of us have! You'll find the answer to many, along with other useful info, by spending some time reading old threads.

However, the answers to most of the above are probably the ones you'd like to hear (ie. positive), with the exception of air quality which can be pretty bad at times, though not as bad as Beijing or many other Chinese or Asian cities.

[bgates276]

[oxi]

[sistercream]

You might want to check out the forums here for info and impressions of local living conditions:
http://hongkong.geoexpat.com
The TripAdvisor forums also have plenty of useful info.

Toilets - in public restrooms, usually a mix of western-style and squatties; in shopping malls nearly all are pedestal loos. Nearly all much cleaner and better equipped than their equivalents in Australia or much of Europe (and that includes those at beaches and in parks).
Very unusual to find squatties in private housing less than 50 years old.

Water - is treated to first world standards before being released into the system, but not all pipes (specially in private estates) are first-world. so it depends. Water filters, or dispensers/ contracts for bottle water supply. are easily available.

Internet cafes are normally occupied by the hard-core gaming community, but there is an extensive government network of free wifi. Even some buses have it. Or you can get a contract, day-by-day, or PAYG for data; very reasonable prices.

Smoking laws are strict; some clubs allow it, or you find people congregating by rubbish bins outside shopping malls for their fix. Not even common to see people smoking while walking down the street any more.

Unless you already have breathing difficulties, pollution here is more an annoyance than dangerous - in winter it can get pretty bad (though nowhere near as horrendous as mainland cities), but the rest of the year it's not a problem unless you're in the concrete canyons downtown. Here, we wear face masks if we have coughs/ colds, in order to stop others collecting our bugs.

Signs all bilingual. People's language abilities depend on their educational level (and ethnicity). Unless you have a strong regional accent, you shouldn't have any problem communicating with civil servants.

[kowlooner]

First of all, I know it gets hot in the summer. Are the schools air conditioned? I'm assuming almost all apartments will be.

It depends on what your definition of ''air conditioned'' is. In our school, we have no air-conditioning, so we require the students' Filipino maids to fan us with large palm leaves. They seem used to it though. Homes are usually cooled by large blocks of ice delivered by coolies in rickshaws.

What about toilets? Are there western toilets in the apartments and schools? I read that in mainland china, there are eastern toilets but you need to bring your on toilet paper with you everywhere you go, as it will not be provided in public places. I also read, that in mainland china, many of the older buildings do not have plumbing and you throw away your toilet paper in a basket, which can really stink. Are these things true in Hong Kong as well?

Ever seen Survivor? It's kind of like that.

What about the water, is it drinkable out of a tap, or will I get sick? Would I need to buy bottled water?

See above entry about toilets.

What about internet cafes? Are they plentiful the way they are in South Korea, or should I really buy my own computer and get hooked up with internet access?

Why, I'm typing this right now from an internet cafe! My fan operator is a pleasant Filipino lady named Rosa.

Do a lot people in Hong Kong smoke and do they do it indoors in public places?

Chinese people don't smoke tobacco at all. However, the opium dens are open 24 hours.

Is the air pollution really bad or is it tolerable? Will I develop breathing problems if I stay too long? Should I buy one of those face masks?

We have had absolutely no air pollution since the Return to the Motherland. And those Hello Kitty facemasks rock.

Do most people speak English? Are the signs bilingual?

All people speak perfect English. Most ESL teachers in HK have come here to improve their own accents. Especially Australians.

Please feel free to add anything else you can think of regarding what it is like to live there.

Snake tastes like chicken.

Hope this helps!