English Suburb
Up until Winter 2021, I had been living in a quiet suburb in the West Midlands. My home was a 2-storey house with fairly spacious front and back gardens. My family and I often sat outside in the garden to enjoy the fresh air, do some gardening or have a barbecue.
I had been living here on-and-off since the early 1990s, when it was built from scratch. It is the house that contains the majority of my memories as I was growing up. We are one of two Chinese families on our street.
There are nearby walking trails where my family and I like to take walks in the mornings and evenings. The area is designated as a local nature reserve and there are plenty of wildlife species. However, it was too far to walk to the local shops so we have to drive everywhere. The public transport here was practically non-existent. I got my driving licence when I was 17 and have probably driven close to 100,000 miles to date.
University Campuses
When I went to university, I spent temporary stints living on campuses in the UK and for one month, in China. The campuses were located outside of the city so whilst there was plenty of green space, it was also mildly inconvenient.
It certainly gave the sense of a "bubble" because most people you saw were people who were connected to the university. I also spent a year living off-campus in a house share. It took me 30 minutes to walk to campus every day.
Out of Town Apartments
(Wix stock image)
One summer I worked in Hong Kong as an environmental intern. I lived in an apartment on the 28th floor by myself. The estate contained 7 blocks and was home to around 3,000 residents in a very tight area. There was a dedicated shopping mall on the lower levels to cater for the residents.
To get to work, I had to take the bus to the nearest MTR station, take the train to an interchange station, transfer lines and upon arriving, take a 15 minute walk to my office. Later on, I moved to my grandparents' residence in the neighbouring town where I slept in the living room on a sofa bed. This was one of the most memorable times of my life and I am grateful for it.
A Room In the Heart of the City
Today, as I am writing this, I am sitting in a hotel room just round the corner from Nathan Road. The room is around 230 sq ft with an ensuite bathroom. Downstairs there is an Asian restaurant and plenty of seating areas to relax.
Outside, there are thousands of people streaming along the streets all day long and into the night. Around the corner, there is a bakery shop where I often see dozens of people lining up for mango puddings and egg tarts.
In the adjacent street, there are market stalls selling clothes and toys. In the street opposite, the shops and cafes seem endless with every single unit occupied. There are dim sum and hotpot restaurants on the upper floors as well as almost every cuisine you could imagine.
I can basically access any location in Hong Kong within 1.5 hours (except for some of the outlying islands). I have the choice of the subway, tram, bus, ferry, cycling or walking. Taxi is relatively affordable for short distances. I have not driven a car for 8 months and I honestly don't miss it.
On one hand, it does get quite noisy at times, mainly due to traffic, people and construction. The air is not fresh but I sense the pollution has improved considerably in the last 10 years. You can't really see or hear any wildlife here but there are a few parks within walking distance which I visit for a break. Notably Kowloon Park, King's Park and West Kowloon. It is also really easy to visit Hong Kong's vast country parks.
Living here has given me an unprecedented level of choice and convenience. It has provided me with opportunity and inspiration. In the pre-pandemic era, it would have been quite unaffordable to live here. So I am enjoying it whilst it lasts. It is truly a world away from anywhere I have lived before.
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