Hong Kong expats returning ‘home’ for the holidays: it’s that time of the year again
Mixed feelings on going home for the summer? Be it Manchester or Manhattan, here are a few things to look forward to and a few reminders of why you left in the first place
The flights are all booked and the neighbours have agreed to empty the dehumidifiers. The pilgrimage back to the mother country is about to begin.
Within hours of the school term finishing, half the expats you know will be at the airport check-in desk, loaded down with luggage and kids who look capable of going 12 hours on the plane without so much as a nap. Here are a few things they, or perhaps you, have to look forward to, as well as some reminders of why they/you left in the first place.
1 Families
After 50 weeks of Skype and FaceTime chats, most are more than ready for a whirlwind of three-dimensional reunions. There are new babies to introduce, gossip to catch up on and gifts to hand out. (Jade chopsticks and Chinese clay teapots from Temple Street Market should do it.) But heading “home” for a summer break can be disorienting. You arrive in a familiar environment only to discover it isn’t quite as remembered. The first port of call is usually the childhood home – although it is hard to say if it’s home any more.
2 Space