While I am now a totally urbanised citizen, I have not always been so. I've had the privilege of experiencing the rural way of life - rounding up cattle on a farm the size of Belgium from a helicopter, learning about the conservation of the Great Barrier Reef first-hand from marine biologists, diving to survey the destruction of the reef from our planet's overheating. My life as a veterinarian has exposed me to situations rarely experienced by urban folk. This has given me a perspective that aids me in making day-to-day decisions based on the bigger picture.
My assimilation into the urban fabric has pushed me away from my rural roots. I now find myself swimming against the currents to hold on to them.
Today I am going to tell you a funny story that could only happen in another world and another place. It could not happen in Hong Kong. I tell this story to remind everyone that there is an ever-shrinking rural world out there.
It was about 14 years ago and I was on a regular farm rotation. It was a very alien environment for a city dweller with aspirations to become a small-animal veterinarian. To complete my training I had to know and experience life on farms and be competent, upon graduation, in the medical treatment of large farm animals.
So there I was, out of my element and trying my hardest to adapt. It was not just the ungodly early hours that farmers keep, or the hard sweaty work that is required to keep a farm running. No single thing made it difficult to adapt, rather it was the whole change in lifestyle that went with living on a farm.
For me it was just a passing experience and soon I would be back in the noisy surrounds of my urban home. But for the children who lived on the farm, this tranquil place was the only place they knew. For them the city was too polluted for their liking, but I could see that they longed for the excitement that a cityscape could provide. The grass is seemingly greener on the other side of the fence.
During my stay on this particular dairy farm, two teenagers were intent on impressing the newly arrived and rarely seen Asian boy with some farm shenanigans. They were kind to me but full of mischief. One evening they woke me and asked if I wanted to go 'cow tipping'. I had no idea what they meant but agreed to go along.