Meet the Community
2024
Meet Aki
Meet Aki
About
Aki is a 23-year-old Filipino who recently moved to Hong Kong after being drawn to its rich culture and wanting to kickstart his career path.
Life in Hong Kong
Despite having only been in Hong Kong for six months, Aki has quickly made a home within the region. He believes the biggest thing that helped with his assimilation is his eagerness to learn the local language (Cantonese). Though Aki himself hasn’t experienced any form of discrimination due to his race, he’s very much aware about the tendency for Hong Kongers—particularly the older generation—to view Filipinos in a negative light. Regardless, Aki doesn’t let this deter him from befriending and interacting with the people of Hong Kong, choosing instead to educate those he can and show them that Filipinos are equally capable and deserving of respect.
A Message From Aki
I’m so lucky to find friends, especially my local friends, who support me here adapting to their culture and learning the language, even though I’ve been living for 6 months. Moving out of your home country is a hard thing for most people since they can feel lonely, but you guys made Hong Kong as my second home now. I love you all! Mahal ko kayo. æˆ‘æ„›ä½ å“‹ã€‚
Meet Joseph
Meet Joseph
About
Joseph is a 31-year-old who was born in Hong Kong but studied in the Philippines. After completing his education, he moved back to the region with his mother in order to pursue other job opportunities.
Life in Hong Kong
Having lived in Hong Kong for seven years now, it’s safe to say that Joseph has encountered his fair share of ups and downs. For instance, there were countless times when people would treat him unkindly because of his inability to speak the local language. This also made it harder for him to find a job as most companies in Hong Kong require their employees to speak Cantonese. Regardless, Joseph was able to find his footing by slowly picking up their language through his day-to-day activities. He also made sure to actively broaden his knowledge of their culture by befriending his coworkers and forming meaningful relationships with Hong Kongers instead of merely being a passerby.
A Message From Joseph
Don’t take things seriously and just live life. The younger generation nowadays tend to think ahead of time and stress about what they want for their future. Yes it is good to have some form of a plan so that you know your path, but things tend to change along the way. It sounds cliché, but just go with the flow. That’s what I did and I have no regrets in my life.
Meet Benjamin
Meet Benjamin
Life in Hong Kong
Benjamin lives a pretty decent life in Hong Kong. Amidst his busy schedule, he still gets to do all the usual things he used to do back in the Philippines, such as going to church on Sundays or dining out with friends.
At work, he’s mostly surrounded by colleagues who can speak English pretty well, so he doesn’t have to worry too much about language barriers in terms of employment. Outside of work, however, not knowing Cantonese becomes a slight problem, especially when visiting markets or riding the minibus. On top of this, being a Filipino has also led Benjamin to some rather interesting interactions with Hong Kongers. On one particular occasion, a bank teller apparently mistook him for a driver or a domestic worker. Though Benjamin simply laughed it off, the exchange has left him wondering about what the Hong Kong people think of Filipinos in general.
Meet Luis
Meet Luis
Life in Hong Kong
Luis is a permanent resident of Hong Kong who first moved to the region in 2007 in pursuit of new beginnings. Over the past 17 years, employment was fortunately never an issue for Luis, finding work in various industries such as the Food & Beverage industry and Banking. Luis credits this to the numerous benefits provided by the Hong Kong government, making his life in Hong Kong easier to navigate.
During his free days, Luis liked to hike the mountains of Hong Kong and appreciate the scenery. As he kept hiking, he eventually decided to put together a small group of Filipino hikers to help foster a sense of community and belonging. This is one of the many things that allowed him to stay in touch with his own culture and identity as a Filipino.
Although he has also been subjected to some forms of racial discrimination, Luis believes that staying firm in his beliefs and capabilities have helped him overcome these challenges, earning the respect of those around him. He also believes that Hong Kongers are generally more acceptable of Filipinos lately given the latter’s contributions to Hong Kong society.
A Message From Luis
Enjoy life to the fullest. Work with harmony. Be happy in everything that you do, and if you are not happy anymore find new one, explore, until you find true happiness in your life.
Meet Sharlene
Meet Sharlene
Life in Hong Kong
Sharlene is an OFW who has been working in Hong Kong for almost 10 years. Compared to the Philippines, Sharlene thinks living in Hong Kong is a lot more convenient and safe, especially with the reliability of the region’s infrastructure and government services.
As a Filipino, however, Sharlene does occasionally face discrimination from the Hong Kong people. She shared one particular instance in which one of the store employees refused to serve her and her family even though they were actively serving the local customers. Be that as it may, Sharlene takes these occurrences of prejudice as an opportunity to stand up for herself and show Hong Kongers that she deserves the same amount of respect she regards them with.
A Message From Sharlene
Always be a Filipino wherever you are. Never let any culture or criticism affect you. Make those as motivation to stand [up] for yourself.
Meet Joeffrey
Meet Joeffrey
About
Joeffrey, 48, has been living in Hong Kong for the past 32 years. He has taken a liking to the region due to its vibrant culture and dynamic lifestyle.
Life in Hong Kong
According to Jeoffrey, living in Hong Kong as a Filipino is a unique experience. For one, the pace of living in Hong Kong is much more fast-paced compared to the Philippines. There are also a ton of cultural behaviours and practices that Joeffrey had to get used to in order to better adapt to Hong Kong society.
While Jeoffrey believes that the overall disposition Hong Kongers have towards Filipinos may vary depending on the person, he himself has unfortunately fallen victim to a few instances of racial discrimination and stereotyping. At its worst, the prejudice towards his ethnicity had Jeoffrey feeling isolated and alone, making it difficult for him to meaningfully interact with the local community.
Notwithstanding, Jeoffrey has since learned the importance of staying resilient and committed, navigating these cultural disparities with utmost care and determination. He chooses to overcome any obstacles by actively immersing himself in the culture such as learning their language and engaging with both Filipinos and Hong Kongers.
A Message From Joseph
Stay resilient, embrace diversity and be proud of your heritage as a filipino. These values will help you navigate challenges, build relationship, and thrive in a multicultural society.
