Fitting in
Soo
Soo arrived in Hong Kong in 2020 with her husband and two children, bringing a life already shaped by experiences across the world. Before settling here, she had already joined exchange programmes in the United States, worked in China and Italy, completed a master’s degree in the United Kingdom, and lived in Singapore for five years.
She has always possessed a strong curiosity about other cultures. That same curiosity, however, often leaves her feeling suspended in the middle—never fully belonging anywhere. She knows she does not belong to the local culture in Hong Kong, even when she tries.
Living inside an expatriate bubble, she notes, is very different from her past experience. Language and cultural barriers remain. Sometimes she finds the local diet, decision-making styles, and ways of thinking difficult to grasp. The distance is real, and the barriers are not easily overcome.
Yet, as an observer, she continues to engage with local people. Her greatest concern is that her children might become too settled in an expatriate bubble. Expats in Hong Kong are almost immediately perceived as outsiders.
Preeti
Preeti moved from Mumbai to Hong Kong in 2010 to work in banking. After several years, she was transferred to the U.S. within the same bank. By 2018, she had gained enough experience, ambition, and confidence to leave the salaried employment and become an entrepreneur. To do that, she returned to Hong Kong, this time on an investment visa.
Preeti’s footprints are all around the global cities such as Mumbai, Chicago, San Francisco, and Hong Kong. This trajectory exposed her to diverse cultures and perspectives. It also shaped the way she thinks about belonging:
“I’ve always had a circle of friends who are pretty international... I feel there is no point in moving out [of your country] if you’re still kind of sticking to the same group.” Integrating is a way to experience a new place. “If you move to a place with the mindset that you’re not fitting in culturally, then you’ll never fit in culturally.” She adds: “I think I’ve never ever had that challenge, not even in Hong Kong. People talk about racism in Hong Kong and all that, but I have never faced that.”
Through all her encounters, she highlights how comfortable she felt here, “I have actually quite enjoyed my time in Hong Kong. I’ve had friends from diverse cultures, and culturally I have zero issues if you ask me.” “I started to fit in from day one.” Compared to the U.S. where she both studied and worked, she “found Hong Kong much more efficient, infrastructure to be better... The overall system in Hong Kong worked perfectly...,” for example with simple things like getting a HKID card in five days instead of the stated seven.
Preeti’s story illustrates the welcoming side of Hong Kong, showing that for some expatriates, relocation is smooth and positive. Her journey reminds us that Hong Kong is not a city with closed doors, but a place where people from diverse backgrounds fit in and call it home.