Hong Kong
I have always thought of Hong Kong as part of China. I was somewhat surprised to hear that people in Hong Kong, however, do not consider themselves as such. Later, I also discovered that while this is true, many of them do consider themselves to be Chinese. This distinction between whether Hong Kong is part of China or not is so great that it has led to one of the most common examples of the Mandela Effect. For anyone unfamiliar, the Mandela Effect is a phenomenon of collective false memories, named for many people believing that Nelson Mandela died in prison in the 1980s, even though he went on to become the President of South Africa a decade later and only died five years ago. It is common for people to believe beyond doubt that Hong Kong is a separate country, becoming independent in 1997 when in actual fact sovereignty was handed over from the United Kingdom back to China. In light of the fact that the people who live there do not consider themselves as part of China, I suppose this confusion makes sense. I've always thought that whole Mandela Effect with Hong Kong was really interesting. Even my mum thought that it was its own country, until I brought it up. Anyway, that was all I knew about Hong Kong. Until recently, at least.
My dad's new Filipino wife has spent several years working in Hong Kong as a housekeeper, to support her children back in the Philippines. From what I have heard, the family she worked with were quite uptight, upper-class people. They tried to refuse Evelyn's resignation letter, which she gave in the lead-up to her wedding.
Dad visited there a few months ago. He says that the city is extremely busy but surprisingly organised. People are packed into the trains with little room to breathe, let alone move. Even with the trains running every four minutes, they are far busier than I can even begin to imagine, even as somebody who lives at the end of the Melbourne's busiest train line.
Domestic helpers have a whole culture of their own in Hong Kong, according to Evelyn. Most of them live with their employers, sitting in this weird limbo between being involved in the family personally and not. It's completely different to nannying in the west. My cousin nannied for a family in the United States, and she was like a second mum to the children. When the family moved states to Washington, my cousin even moved with them. But in Hong Kong the domestic helpers do anything, without that emotional connection. They look after the children, do dishes, keep the house tidy, wash laundry. Anything, really. That's what they are paid to do. But on public holidays and their days off, they aren't allowed to be in the house that they live in. Public holidays for domestic helpers become big social events, with hundreds of them gathering on the streets and under bridges. Anywhere they can find. They bring rugs and food. It's like a big family get together. Most of them come from other countries, trying to make their way to a better life, or provide for their real families back home. It's sad, really, that somebody who spends so much time helping a family cannot be seen as part of it. I can't assume that it was a particularly good career. When my dad met Evelyn, she was looking for jobs in Canada, even further away from her two children.
But my dad's overall impression of Hong Kong was a good one. He had fun there and enjoyed the experience of a city completely different to anywhere he had been before. I suppose it couldn't have been the worst place to get married.
My dad's new Filipino wife has spent several years working in Hong Kong as a housekeeper, to support her children back in the Philippines. From what I have heard, the family she worked with were quite uptight, upper-class people. They tried to refuse Evelyn's resignation letter, which she gave in the lead-up to her wedding.
Dad visited there a few months ago. He says that the city is extremely busy but surprisingly organised. People are packed into the trains with little room to breathe, let alone move. Even with the trains running every four minutes, they are far busier than I can even begin to imagine, even as somebody who lives at the end of the Melbourne's busiest train line.
Domestic helpers have a whole culture of their own in Hong Kong, according to Evelyn. Most of them live with their employers, sitting in this weird limbo between being involved in the family personally and not. It's completely different to nannying in the west. My cousin nannied for a family in the United States, and she was like a second mum to the children. When the family moved states to Washington, my cousin even moved with them. But in Hong Kong the domestic helpers do anything, without that emotional connection. They look after the children, do dishes, keep the house tidy, wash laundry. Anything, really. That's what they are paid to do. But on public holidays and their days off, they aren't allowed to be in the house that they live in. Public holidays for domestic helpers become big social events, with hundreds of them gathering on the streets and under bridges. Anywhere they can find. They bring rugs and food. It's like a big family get together. Most of them come from other countries, trying to make their way to a better life, or provide for their real families back home. It's sad, really, that somebody who spends so much time helping a family cannot be seen as part of it. I can't assume that it was a particularly good career. When my dad met Evelyn, she was looking for jobs in Canada, even further away from her two children.
But my dad's overall impression of Hong Kong was a good one. He had fun there and enjoyed the experience of a city completely different to anywhere he had been before. I suppose it couldn't have been the worst place to get married.
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