by Heather Diamond | Jun 13, 2019 | Blog, Daily Life, Intercultural, Travel
The question we have been asked most by American and European friends since we moved to Hong Kong in 2018 is whether we’ve seen changes since Hong Kong officially became part of China. I used to shrug and say not really. Some small ripples under the surface, some...
by Heather Diamond | Jan 7, 2019 | Blog, Family, Intercultural, Relationships, Tradition
I attended my third Lau family wedding a couple of weeks ago and once again I was startled by how different Hong Kong weddings are from typical American weddings. I realize many people have unconventional weddings and not everyone who gets married has one at all. I’ve...
by Heather Diamond | Nov 28, 2018 | Intercultural, Travel
One of the things I loved most about living in Hawaii was that outside the tourist zones, local people tend to make eye contact and smile on the street. They strike up conversations in public places like standing in lines at the grocery store or the bank. The latter...
by Heather Diamond | Nov 12, 2018 | Intercultural, Travel
Some of the images of Hong Kong that stay with me the longest are sights I didn’t photograph because I saw them in passing or taking pictures seemed somehow inappropriate. (Thus the stock image of Queen’s Street). Often they are glimpses of people or things that...
by Heather Diamond | Oct 26, 2018 | Intercultural, Relationships, Travel
In Hong Kong, I am what is known as a “trailing spouse.” What this means is that my husband is the one with the job that brought us here, and I am the tagalong “dependent,” my official label. His entry was sponsored by his employer, and mine was sponsored by my...
by Heather Diamond | Oct 12, 2018 | Daily Life, Intercultural
Some days it is in the mundane activities of daily life where I face my acculturation challenges. Take cooking, for example. I don’t mean to complain. I have a kitchen, while many people in Hong Kong’s compressed living spaces have a miniscule kitchenette. Compared to...
