Living in Hong Kong?

Question

Hi, I am going to be a foreign exchange student in Hong Kong and have a few questions. My main question is what are the average families like? I will be staying with a host family and wondering what they will most likely be like. Where does the average family live? etc. I will also be going to a Hong Kong public school. What are the schools like there? Where do people live? What are the average homes like? I am going down for a whole school year. Any suggestions as to what I should do? I really want to know everything that there is about living in Hong Kong. Thanks a lot and cannot wait to go there!

Answer 1

Well, I'm not completely sure but I have lived in a city in China (even though I now live in the USA)...

Average Familes will have one child and you will have a nice room or share one...your going to walk home and don't expect people to wear designer clothes to school if it's a middle class family...

First, average homes will have like a:

Kitchen- It would be about 12 by 6 feet...It will also include the washer because in China/Hong Kong they have a room to hang their clothes to dry

Living Room- Couch, TV (NOT PLASMA LCD), and it's about 17 by 20 feet, everything essential thing you would find in a living room

Dining Area- NOT formal dining area, eating, etc.

Bathroom- Toilet, Sink, etc.

Second, the host family will be very kind to you. There is a chance that they will do things they normally won't do.

Third, the average family in Hong Kong lives in an apartment.

The public schools will have a playground if it's for younger kids. Older grades will have to an area in the front to chat and stuff. The curriculum is going to be quite hard and you will have to deal with a lot of tedious homework everyday, and they give lots of homework over the summer.

People live in many places, probably 99% of people will live in apartments.

Any suggestions: Be Yourself, you will probably will have to walk to school everyday and you might have to buy your own food for yourself, try not to talk to strangers...

It's very busy and it might be hard to adjust because it might be a little chaotic there...the place is very busy and don't expect the dad (or person(s) to go to work early and return early (4 P.M.)....

Have fun!

Answer 2

Hongkong is not big. You may see a lot of people if you live in Kowloon and Hongkong Island. There are fewer people in New Territory. The average family live in apartments which may not be spacious.  

Hongkong people are very friendly. I'm sure there are a lot for you to explore yourself.  Have a good time there.

Answer 3

Housing in Hong Kong is of the apartment or flats type, unlike in the US or other areas where houses stand on lots and have some of yard surrounding it. Depending on the means of the family that you will live it, the apartment/flat will either be moderately sized or large.

Hong Kong families are quite close knit, and mothers are very involved with their children. It's also quite common for these families to have at least one household helper living with them. Hong Kong people also love to eat outdoors, so don't be surprised if you get invited to join them for lunch or dinner out on occasion. And speaking of meals, dinner is the heaviest meal of the day. This is when the whole family is usually complete and able to sit down to a meal together.

Schooling in Hong Kong is rather rigorous. Students there are exposed to a lot of activities outside of school to either supplement their studies or teach them new skills. You will see a lot of centers for math and english. Some families will also hire tutors for the children to help with english, math or chinese (putong hua). Depending on the family and student, some families are very intense when it comes to their children's schooling (this would be the usual norm) or they might be 'relaxed' in that they won't push the children too hard to study and keep up grades.

I don't know about public schools, but private schools there can be quite demanding with the work load in terms of homework and projects, especially in high school.

I suggest that you observe and try to make friends to learn how students at your school are like. They do know how to have fun even when they concentrate on their studies. It would be a good idea to really concentrate on studies during the week, then during the weekend (like Saturdays) try to go out and explore so that you will also learn more about the culture and people outside of what you learn in school.

Answer 4

i studied in a quite prestigious public school here and have friends study abroad. i can tell u the education system here is much much tougher than in US/UK! also the syllabus covered is so much harder, especially for mathematics. and it's more grade-orientated.. most of the students here went to tutorial centre after school.  but it's not really that harsh when u've get used to it, it's just in comparison, it's harsher. but i guess as u're a exchange student, u don't have to face all those public exams, the workload won't be that huge :)

enjoy your year in HK :)

Answer 5

Hey!

i was born and raised in the UK, but i have family in Hong Kong so i just share my thoughts about hong kong.

Well i think the schools are alot grade orientated and is harder than how it is in england.

The Average Homes can be quite spacious depending what area you live in, but can also be small if you live in the city areas .

The Place is very busy in the city, everyone works very hard trying to earn a living.

Well Good Luck!!!! =]