Hong Kong: Mga dapat malaman ng mga Pinoy at OFWs - Facts to know in another country

Elysha Lastimosa
is a Talent scout in Hong Kong

1. Weather – Ang Hong Kong ay mayroong sub-tropical climate with seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter). Mula June hanggang August, and temperatura ay katulad sa Pilipinas na mainit at humid. Ang sumusunod ay ang mga karaniwang klima at weather sa mga seasons sa Hong Kong:


Spring (March to May)

Tumataas ang temperature at humidity sa mga buwan na ito, kung kaya’t umiinit ang panahon. Ngunit kadalasang malamig/cool ang temperature tuwing gabi. Average Temperature: 17 degrees Celsius – 26 degrees Celsius


Summer (June to August)

Hot, humid and sunny, with occasional showers and thunderstorms. Lumalagpas ng 31°C sa mga buwan na ito, ngunit dahil sa mataas na humidity levels, ang pakiramdam ay napakainit. Mainit at humid ang temperatura sa buwan na ito tulad sa Pilipinas. Average Temperature: 26 degrees C – 31 degrees C


Autumn (September to November) - There are pleasant breezes, plenty

of sunshine and comfortable temperatures. Para sa marami, pinakamagandang pumunta sa Hong Kong sa mga buwan na ito. Average Temperature: 19 degrees C – 28 degrees C


Winter (December to February) - Cool, dry and cloudy, with occasional

cold fronts. Ito ang mga pinaka-malamig na buwan sa Hong Kong.

Pwedeng bumagsak ang temperatura ng below 10°C. Average Temperature: 12 degrees Celsius – 20 degrees C


2. Language - Cantonese and English. Ang official languages ng Hong Kong ay Chinese (Spoken Cantonese) at English. Madaming dialect ang Chinese tulad sa atin sa Pinas na may Bisaya, Ilongo, Kapampangan, Ilokano atbp. Ang local dialect sa Hong Kong ay Cantonese. Mayroon ding mga iilan sa Hong Kong na nagsasalita ng Mandarin (ang main Chinese dialect sa mainland China). Kung magtatanong ka sa kalye ng daan, mga kadalasan ang mga marunong mag-Ingles ay ang mga mas nakakabata ang edad. Tandaan na maraming mga taxi drivers ang hindi marunong mag-Ingles (di tulad satin sa Pinas na karamihan ay marunong mag-English). Kung kaya’t maganda rin kung marunong ka gumamit ng googlemaps, o mag printout ng address kung saan ka pupunta. Maganda rin at makakatulong kung matuto ka ng kahit konting Cantonese, tulad ng: Hello - néih hóu at Thank you – m?hgòi


3. Public Transportation - Sa Hong Kong, ang tawag sa Metro Rail Transit (MRT) ay MTR (in Philippines, it is called MRT). Maaaring bumili ng “Octopus cards” (parehas ito ng “Metro Star Express Stored Value” sa Pilipinas) na maaring gamitin sa MTR (Metro), buses, trams, ferries at iilang mga mini busses. Ang Octopus card ay hindi lamang ginagamit sa mass transit, kung hindi pwede ring gamiting sa supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, carparks, car parks, service stations at vending machines and convernience stores, such as Circle K and Seven Eleven, para bumili ng drinks at snacks.


4. Legal ang uminum ng alak (drinking alcohol) sa kalye sa HK - Pwedeng uminum ng alak sa kalye sa Hong Kong. Hindi tulad ito sa Pilipinas kung saan pwede kang mabagansya kung umiinum ka sa kalye. Kaya kung gusto mong magtipid, makakita ka rin at makakasama ng ibang mga taong umiinum sa labas ng mga convenience stores tulad ng 7-11 sa HK. At pwede rin nila buksan ang takip ng bote ng beer para sayo!


5. Museums and art galleries – maraming magandang museums at galleries sa Hong Kong na kadalalsan ay free entry (libre) tuwing Wednesday. Iilang mga kilalang museum ng Hong Kong ay ang: Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Hong Kong Science Museum, Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence, Dr. Sun Yat Sen Museum.


6. Markets/Tiangge - Marami mga markets o tiangge sa Hong Kong kung saan makabili ng mumurahing gamit, tulad sa: Stanley (for higher quality souvenirs), Temple Street Night Market (for jade and bric-a-brac), Ladies’ Market (for cheap souvenirs ), Cat Street (for jade and antiques)


7. Spitting/pagdudura – Ipinapagbawal ang pagdudura (spitting) sa kalye. Pagkatapos ng SARS noong 2003, spitting was strictly prohibited. Maari kang ma-fine (penalty) ng hanggang HK$5,000.



The importance of learning about foreign cultures is well known nowadays. With the ongoing globalization any kind of interactions between human beings of different cultures is increasing. As a result, people put more and more effort into the process of learning foreign languages. Different fields such as healthcare, education, business, culture, politics, legal and scientific research are affected by the significance of foreign languages. Culture influences how people interact with each other. In the business world, culture guides decision-making, behavior, thinking patterns and values.

Foreign culture learning opens our minds to new cultures and new ways of thinking. It gives us the chance to consider foreign cultures against our own values and traditions and gives us a deeper respect for our multi-faceted world. Through language learning, we are exposed to a different set of customs, traditions, aesthetics, cuisines, philosophies, politics, and histories.

Cultural differences also mean different social behaviour and different ways of communicating, even if people speak the same language. This often leads to misunderstandings in communication that is caused not necessarily by language/translation problems but by different social acting, as this also depends from our cultural backgrounds.

It can also make your resume look better. With globalization in full swing, there's a good chance you'll be working with people whose first language isn't English. Maybe it's a development team in India, or a manufacturing plant in China, or an alternative energy supplier in Germany; being able to communicate in other languages makes you much more valuable to an employer.

Exploring new cultures widens horizons and gives personal experiences. A rewarding parts of learning foreign languages is that it helps us to make connections with people overseas. It is amazing how people’s perception of a foreigner abroad changes when they speak the language of the host foreign country. It can transform the way people perceives you from an outsider to a friend. It allows a foreigner to build trust more quickly and to establish a stronger relationship with people. Also, we are showing respect to the mother countries of these languages.


Being well-versed in a country's culture goes a long way in preventing expensive marketing errors. Consumption patterns and buyer behavior reflect cultural influences and attitudes that differ country by country. They must be considered when interpreting market research used to make decisions on design, color, packaging, distribution and promotion. The act of naming a product, service or company could, if language implications are ignored, derail a promising business venture.

About the author

Elysha Lastimosa

Profession: Talent scout
Hong Kong , Hong Kong , Hong Kong

 

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