Living in Hong Kong for almost 3 months now I can’t help but notice the differences between Hong Kong and Southern California. A lot of these differences are little things or quirks of Hong Kong (Don’t worry I know SoCal has it’s quirks too). Here are some of the most striking to me.

1. Not Moving for Emergency Vehicles: The first time I saw cars just continue traffic as usual when an ambulance came by with all its lights and sounds, I thought to myself “hmm maybe the drivers are just not paying attention”. The second time I saw the cars not move for the ambulance it clicked to me that cars don’t move for emergency vehicles. I can understand why with Hong Kong’s small streets, busy traffic, and close proximity. But still every time I see the ambulance wait for a red light or get stuck in traffic it is so weird to me.

2. Going to get Run Over: While pedestrians have priority in SoCal, Hong Kong drivers seem like they are going to run you over even when you are walking “safely” in the crosswalk. Cars do not stop for pedestrians at all. They also stop very suddenly close to pedestrians —especially taxis. I say a little prayer every time I cross the street in Hong Kong.

3. Holding Doors: For some reason in the past 2-3 weeks this has really emerged as a difference to me. Southern California may not have the best door opening etiquette in the US, nothing can rival the hospitality / the number of people who will hold a door open for you that one finds in the South, but at least people will usually hold the door open for you if you are walking behind them or are walking towards them and you both reach the door at the same time. Locals in Hong Kong just don’t hold open doors for others. The thing that has to be the weirdest to me is when I hold open the door for others. I get really strange looks; people don’t know how to react when I hold the door open for them. Yes, I’m holding this door open for you to walk through. I feel like I have to motion for the people to walk when I hold the door open for them. If anyone can explain to me why this is I would love to know.

4. Gated Sidewalks: In Hong Kong a lot of the sidewalks have a sort of “safety barrier” separating the sidewalk from the road. It is usually a metal gate like barrier. I’m not really sure how effective they are at preventing accidents (or really the reason why they are there) but boy do they serve as an annoyance while walking. Sometimes I just want to cross the street at the corner or from one side of the road to another but I have to walk another 10 meters or so to get to an opening. This is especially annoying when there are no cars coming, and I’m just lazy hahaha. I totally understand why Hong Kong uses them, it definitely keeps pedestrian traffic more organized although I sometimes see people walking on curb / on the road outside the barrier. It fits with the order and crowd control that I have noticed is a large part of Hong Kong.