Home From Home | 2 years back in England, and still I think of Hong Kong every day
- Leaving Covid-hit Hong Kong after 28 years for a village near London felt like escaping quarantine. I love my new life, but miss the old one
The onset of summer, with its long days and occasional sunny rays, reminds me of my arrival in England from Hong Kong. The second anniversary is approaching.
It has taken many months, but reality has finally dawned. I live here now. No longer do I have that feeling of being on holiday with a return flight to catch.
The passage of time makes it difficult to recall what I expected to find here. I spent the first 30 years of my life in London. The leap of faith was nowhere near as big as it had been when I landed in Hong Kong in 1994, having never visited the city.
But I had little idea of what life in Britain would be like. For 28 years, my experience of the country had been as a tourist, snatching a few weeks in the summer.
Looking back, first impressions were always going to be good. When I left Hong Kong, Covid-19 restrictions were still in place. The busy streets of London, lively restaurants and bars and hordes of tourists were a revelation. It felt like being released from a quarantine facility.
The novelty took longer to wear off than I expected. Part of this was due to a decision to try living in the countryside. My wife and I had no idea whether we would like it, after so many years in pulsating, cosmopolitan Hong Kong.
