Learning about the culture and the world was easily done by being observant during the trip with some knowledge learned in classes in advance. Visiting the UK did not only let me learn about the history and culture of the UK, but also allowed me to evaluate those of Hong Kong by comparing the different life styles in these two places.
People often compare London with Hong Kong because both of them are busy financial cities and Hong Kong was once ruled by the British government. Seeing something different was very inspiring because it provided an opportunity for me to pay attention to the details of my homeland. When I travelled and got stuck in the tube for half an hour; it allowed me to admire the efficiency in Hong Kong, which I had not noticed, at the first moment. Then, I started to admire the patience and calmness of Londoners. If any delay occurred in MTR, everyone in the train would be furious and maybe also swearing. It would be reported on TV news as well. Looking back into this incident when I got stuck in the tube now, I see the close relationship between the city and people. When a city is supported by an unreliable transportation without mobile network, the people in the city cannot complain and they are used to it. All they can do and would do is to read. On the other hand, when a city is fully equipped with efficient transportation, mobile network and staffs, people seem never satisfied and complaining. I would like to conclude that if London and Hong Kong have their main metro network exchanged, the attitudes and hobbies of people from each city will be altered. With the people affecting their cities at the same time, the cities will be changed too. Now I notice how every little part of a city or place affects its culture.
Furthermore, I found visiting the UK was more than seeing the British Empire. I was able to see a multi-racial city with features of globalization. I was amazed to see people of different races in the UK, especially in London because it means a city or a country does not depend on local people only nowadays. Immigrants are important in a sense that they bring in their cultures and make them local. In London, most of the restaurants that sold kebabs were run by Turkish people while groceries were run by people of Indian descent. This non-local food kebab has become one of the featured fast food in London. The Turkish people successfully localized kebabs, no matter they planned it or not. Besides, it seemed that people of different races had their own part of the city. When we visited Elephant and Castle, the great number of people of African descent surprised me. There were almost no people of other races apart from those visiting the Imperial War Museum. Although London is famous for how multi-racial it is, I could still see the gap among races to certain extent.
On top of that, some similarities of Hong Kong and the UK reflected some impacts of globalization. In different cities like London, Bath and Canterbury, it was not surprising for us to see signs of McDonald’s, selling same things that we had in Hong Kong. Shopping sometimes became less meaningful because shops are available all over the world or even online. For example, it is not hard to buy Kath Kidston’s shopping bags in Hong Kong, no matter genuine or fake ones. To make buying souvenirs worthwhile, I paid extra effort to see if things were local products like handmade postcards from Stratford Upon Avon.
These similarities meant familiarity on one hand and meant boring uniformity on another hand. Although some people may say travelling becomes boring in the age of globalization, I do not agree. I find the collision of globalization and the conservation of local history, culture, architecture, food etc. is interesting and unique.
People often compare London with Hong Kong because both of them are busy financial cities and Hong Kong was once ruled by the British government. Seeing something different was very inspiring because it provided an opportunity for me to pay attention to the details of my homeland. When I travelled and got stuck in the tube for half an hour; it allowed me to admire the efficiency in Hong Kong, which I had not noticed, at the first moment. Then, I started to admire the patience and calmness of Londoners. If any delay occurred in MTR, everyone in the train would be furious and maybe also swearing. It would be reported on TV news as well. Looking back into this incident when I got stuck in the tube now, I see the close relationship between the city and people. When a city is supported by an unreliable transportation without mobile network, the people in the city cannot complain and they are used to it. All they can do and would do is to read. On the other hand, when a city is fully equipped with efficient transportation, mobile network and staffs, people seem never satisfied and complaining. I would like to conclude that if London and Hong Kong have their main metro network exchanged, the attitudes and hobbies of people from each city will be altered. With the people affecting their cities at the same time, the cities will be changed too. Now I notice how every little part of a city or place affects its culture.
Furthermore, I found visiting the UK was more than seeing the British Empire. I was able to see a multi-racial city with features of globalization. I was amazed to see people of different races in the UK, especially in London because it means a city or a country does not depend on local people only nowadays. Immigrants are important in a sense that they bring in their cultures and make them local. In London, most of the restaurants that sold kebabs were run by Turkish people while groceries were run by people of Indian descent. This non-local food kebab has become one of the featured fast food in London. The Turkish people successfully localized kebabs, no matter they planned it or not. Besides, it seemed that people of different races had their own part of the city. When we visited Elephant and Castle, the great number of people of African descent surprised me. There were almost no people of other races apart from those visiting the Imperial War Museum. Although London is famous for how multi-racial it is, I could still see the gap among races to certain extent.
On top of that, some similarities of Hong Kong and the UK reflected some impacts of globalization. In different cities like London, Bath and Canterbury, it was not surprising for us to see signs of McDonald’s, selling same things that we had in Hong Kong. Shopping sometimes became less meaningful because shops are available all over the world or even online. For example, it is not hard to buy Kath Kidston’s shopping bags in Hong Kong, no matter genuine or fake ones. To make buying souvenirs worthwhile, I paid extra effort to see if things were local products like handmade postcards from Stratford Upon Avon.
These similarities meant familiarity on one hand and meant boring uniformity on another hand. Although some people may say travelling becomes boring in the age of globalization, I do not agree. I find the collision of globalization and the conservation of local history, culture, architecture, food etc. is interesting and unique.
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