Chapter 23 20. In a city without cafes

Hong Kong University's "ethnic segregation" MM: I came to Hong Kong, but you went to Taiwan.I guess you must be curious about my HKU career. I met a whole bunch of people in almost one day, but they were all European and American students.As long as you know one, you will know a whole bunch like a domino effect.On the first day, I saw a tall man with blue eyes and blond hair, Johan from Austria.He came straight up and asked me if I wanted to go swimming in Repulse Bay.When we arrived at Repulse Bay, there were already more than a dozen people lying on the beach, basking in the Hong Kong sun.As soon as I found out that I could speak German, I was immediately surrounded by several students from German-speaking countries.They are Austrian or German or Swiss, but they all go to university in a foreign country - Holland, England or the United States, etc., and then come to Hong Kong University as an exchange student for a semester.

Okay, I know you're going to be rambunctious (I know you too well): Hey, Andre, you're going to meet Hong Kong local students, you're going to meet Chinese students!Yes, but it is difficult. It is not surprising that international students form their own small circle.Most people are coming into contact with Asia for the first time, groping in a completely unfamiliar environment.Take the famous Hong Kong minibus as an example.There is no stop sign, and there is no station. You have to figure out where to get off. The most terrifying thing is that you have to yell in Cantonese before getting off the bus, telling the driver where you want to get off.In this way, international students are exchanging "Hong Kong survival information" with each other every day.I am a little better than them. When I was young, I went to Taiwan with you every year. I seem to know a little more about Asia than they do, but knowing a little is very different from "soaking" in that culture.Because I haven't really lived here, I can only be a bystander, from a European perspective.

International students have no relationship with local students. I think another reason is the language barrier.All courses at HKU are taught in English, so you would think that students must be good at English.Let me tell you, that's not the case at all.I found that many students can indeed read and write, but they struggle with speaking.Most of the students can't chat in English.The most surprising discovery is that Hong Kong students may be able to tell you what Einstein's theory of relativity is with grammatically correct English sentence patterns, but if you ask him to explain a funny joke he heard in a bar yesterday, he will It's over, he won't.

But don't think that international students are a group, they are not.There are many different circles in it.For example, people from the United States and Canada will get together; people from Europe will form another small society.You may ask, is it distinguished by language?No, because we—Germans, Spaniards, Dutch, Italians—talk together and speak English too.So I think there should be a deeper cultural background than language that creates this division—you naturally make friends with people who grow up close to you.Is there a big difference between those from America and Canada and those from Europe?I think it's pretty big, although the distinction is subtle and hard to describe.Those with similar cultural temperament will go together.

On the surface, life here is very similar to my life in Germany: the subjects and schedule may be different, but the extracurricular lifestyle is similar.Although the homework is quite heavy - I have to spend a lot of time reading, but in the evenings and weekends, everyone still often goes to the cafe to drink coffee, chat, or go to the bar to dance and dance, and sometimes stay at home to watch TV and eat pizza together. Chat until midnight. With language, without communication You ask me if I would like to finish university in Hong Kong?I really don't know, because after two months, I found that the quality of life here is different from that in Europe, that is, I think Hong Kong lacks culture.

When I say "culture", I don't mean theater, dance, music performances, art exhibitions, etc.What I mean is, an attitude towards life, a kind of life interest. Take Europe as an example.What I enjoy most is, for example, sitting down with good friends at a street cafe in the hiking area, drinking a cup of Italian coffee, and feeling the wind gently blowing through the narrow alley between the houses on a warm autumn afternoon. What is beautiful is not just the location, but the entire mood and atmosphere that surrounds that location, a way of life, and a kind of cultural precipitation.

Bars and cafes, in Europe, are actually community culture.Friends and neighbors are used to going there to chat, and the boss and waiters are also like old friends.It is an important part of your concept of "hometown" and "culture".Hong Kong seems very "shallow" - I don't know if this word is used correctly.There are no cafes here, just crappy chains like Starbucks and Pacific Coffee, or big restaurants that are so expensive that they're not worth it.As for the bar?Bars in Hong Kong are mostly just places for tourists to have a drink.Those who hadn't fallen to the ground just crookedly stared at the passing Asian women.How do people talk to each other in a typical Lan Kwai Fong or Wan Chai bar?I write to you:

Drinker 1: The band isn't bad. Drinker B: I like women. Drinker A: Me too. Drinker B: Would you like some food? Drinker A: Yes, I was drunk too. Drinker B: The band isn't bad. Drinker A: I like women... Blah blah blah blah, this conversation could go on all night.There is language between people, but there is no communication. always in a hurry I also found that Hong Kong people are always in a hurry.If they meet in a restaurant, coffee shop or bar, it's just to tick off a calendar and get things done.This appointment is still going on, and I am already thinking about the location and transportation route of the next appointment.If I peek at the calendar of a Hong Kong person, I might see it—sex with my wife at 09:15-09:45, talk about things at Landmark at 10:30.Every appointment is "rushed", because there is always the next appointment in line.It seems that it is rare to see three or two friends sitting in a cafe, doing nothing, just gathering for friendship, just for chatting, not for talking about things.

Sometimes I really want to ask Hong Kong people who are walking on the road: When was the last time you sat down with a friend to have a slow and long cup of coffee, and there was no schedule behind? Maybe many people will say: Oh, I don’t remember. People are willing to spend time communicating with each other, sitting down to drink coffee for the sake of drinking coffee, and chatting for the sake of chatting. In Europe, it is a large part of life and an important art of life.There is no such art of living in Hong Kong. There is no interaction between international students and local students. Could it be related to this attitude towards life?

Andre