TRAVEL
I Don’t Want To Be A Turtle In Hong Kong
Just call me Lethargic Linda
Painting a picture of Hong Kong is difficult. Some parts of the city are filled with skyscrapers that reach the sky, as high as a mountain. Walk a little further to see the scenery change to something greener. Nevertheless, I don’t think anyone will disagree that everyone loves a great trip to Hong Kong!
As diverse as it can be, I suspect we can agree on one thing about Hong Kong.
It thrives on fast living, not slow living!
Everywhere you see, people are rushing about, getting things done, and running on 100% efficiency. There’s no time to be wasted because time is money. The pace is FAST.
Everything moves like clockwork.
Things fall in place quickly, magically, and perfectly. There’s no other way to describe it.
Whenever I visit Hong Kong, I feel a little out of place. I look like I belong there because I’m Asian and I speak the language. Other than that, I have nothing else in common. I transform into a turtle.
Compared to Hong Kongers, I’m slow as molasses and it shows.
I remember buying a few items in a convenience store at the airport. Being unfamiliar with all the confusing coins, I stood at the counter, fumbling awkwardly and trying to come up with the correct change.
I sweated embarrassingly with my clumsiness.
When I took a peek behind me, I could see a line of customers forming. The cashier struggled to hide a slight tinge of annoyance at my slowness. I’m so sorry. I’m a slow turtle.
The same thing happened when I was paying at a restaurant. The cashier gave me the total for my meal and watched me struggle to find the right bills. Yet again, I was fully aware of my slowness. Then the Canadian in me burst out.
I kept apologizing for my slowness. Oops.
And what about something as simple as walking? In Canada, I like to walk at a leisurely pace. But, I can walk quite quickly if I want. My definition of “walking quite quickly” actually equals “very slow” in Hong Kong.
I experienced this in the subway. People walk briskly, almost close to a sprint, as they rush to work. I felt like I was in everybody’s way, as I tried to dodge all the harried-looking people.
I should call myself Lethargic Linda. That is probably a good description.
Lethargically slow.
Do you know what the worse thing is? People don’t realize I’m a foreigner, a visitor from another country. They think I live there and I’m being intentionally slow somehow. I’m sure this only fuels their annoyance further.
I didn’t want to change my name to Lethargic Linda.
I didn’t want to be a turtle. There was only one thing to do. I’d have to keep up with them. Instead of walking, I’d have to run.
I’m no longer slow Linda. Just tired and out of breath. Poor Linda. I can’t win.
I’ve always loved being fast-paced and efficient. I really thought I was. Then, I visited Hong Kong and realized there was a whole new level of efficiency that I never knew about.
I’m not too slow when I’m in Canada, but in Hong Kong, I’m a turtle!
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