• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
GO TO EXPAT LIVING SINGAPORE
GET OUR NEWSLETTER

Expat Living Hong Kong HomepageExpat Living Hong Kong

Moving to Hong Kong and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Hong Kong.

Menu
  • Living In Hong Kong
      • Living Here
      • Where To Live
      • Schools
      • For Guys
        • Your Horoscopes for the Month of July!
        • Street Talk: A Guide to Peng Chau
        • Outdoor activities in Hong Kong - hikingOutdoor activities for all the family
        • Health insurance for women
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things To Do
      • What’s On/Calendar
      • Competitions & Offers
        • Things to do in Hong Kong - Summer Vibes at Central HarbourfrontTop 35 Best Things To Do In Hong Kong This Weekend
        • Your Horoscopes for the Month of July!
        • Outdoor activities in Hong Kong - hikingOutdoor activities for all the family
        • What's new in Hong Kong - The Palace MuseumWhat’s new in Hong Kong?
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Activities & Things To Do
      • Education & Enrichment
      • Health & Wellness
      • Mums & Babies
      • Podcasts
        • Baby spit upReflux in newborns: tips and treatment
        • Julius - boarding school student at UWCSEA in SingaporeThe Boarding Experience at UWCSEA
        • Outdoor activities in Hong Kong - hikingOutdoor activities for all the family
        • Why Small Settings Matter
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Home Décor
      • Readers Homes
        • PplusP Design Firm Hong KongInterior Design: 3 Projects Shared
        • Sustainable bamboo items for your home
        • Transforming an old Hong Kong junk
        • Pok Fu Lam homeInside an eclectic Pok Fu Lam home
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Short Breaks
      • Further Afield
      • Travel News & Offers
        • Outdoor activities in Hong Kong - hikingOutdoor activities for all the family
        • Living in Singapore - CBDConsidering moving to Singapore for your next expat post?
        • An introduction to international schools in Singapore
        • Pets and Planes: 5 Things to Consider
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Recipes & Groceries
      • Bars & Restaurants
        • Recipe: Orange Almond Cake
        • Hong Kong Chef’s: Meet Devon Hou
        • OM Tapas eggTasty tapas in the heart of HK
        • supermarkets and online grocery stores in hong kongWhere to find your fave grocery brands
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
        • Best lipstickWhich lipsticks do we love?
        • Sunscreen6 sunscreens for super skin defence
        • Dolma Waxing Boutique - hair removal salon in Hong KongWhere to go for waxing in HK
        • EstheClinic non-surgical treatments - fat freezing2 non-surgical toning treatments to try
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Medical & Dental
      • Fitness
      • Wellness
        • Health and exercising outdoors7 reasons to exercise outdoors
        • Health insurance for women
        • Circuit workout-UPCircuit workouts you can do at home
        • Family planning, fertility, egg freezing“When should I start my egg freezing journey?”
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
      • Magazine
      • Advertise With Us
        • June-August2022
        • June-August 2022 Issue – $36 (Free Shipping)
        • March-May2022
        • March-May2022
      • View all
    Close

Saying goodbye to beloved Hong Kong

25 May, 2021 by Catherine Cooper 3 Min Read

https://expatliving.hk/why-leaving-hong-kong-is-hard-british-expat-shares-her-story/

In our Parting Shot series, readers share their experiences of expat life in Hong Kong. Here, British expat CATHERINE COOPER shares her story of living in, and leaving Hong Kong, and why it’s hard to say goodbye to what has become her much-loved home.

I was nine years old and at boarding school when my parents came to see me one Sunday afternoon to tell me we would be moving to Hong Kong. I cried. Not tears of sadness but tears of joy. You see, I’d been born in Hong Kong but had left at the ripe old age of five months. So I had no memory of my home. We had a wonderful seven-plus years in Hong Kong as a family and, when my father had to relocate back to the UK, I cried again. This time they were tears of immense sadness. What a childhood and education Hong Kong had given me. What memories. What adventure!

Back again!

After moving back to the UK, I accepted my fate and settled down to life in Blighty. But my brother had returned to Hong Kong and started a family, and when his second daughter was born it made sense for me to return too, which I did some 17 years after leaving as a family.

Hong Kong from a plane

Now I’ve been living in Hong Kong for 13 years, and I continue to call it my home. In those years, I’ve watched my nieces grow up, and I’ve waved them goodbye as they departed for the US. I’ve made the most amazing friends, some who are still here and others who have also had to move on. I’m lucky enough to have met my amazing husband here and very sadly watched him battle with cancer and depart this world. I’ve adopted cats, had lodgers, travelled for work and travelled for pleasure, visiting Japan, North Korea, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Lesotho, Mauritius, China, Vietnam, Australia, America, New Zealand, France, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Macau, Singapore and, of course, the UK. All those countries were stunning in many ways, but it was always so wonderful to come home.

Moving on

Yesterday – and, I’ll admit, this morning too – I found myself crying again. I’m in a regional role and I travel for work; I’ve been spending a lot of time in Singapore. Yesterday, my Employment Pass was approved, which means that in 33 days I will once again be saying goodbye to this amazing territory I call home.

Couple in Hong Kong

Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited about moving to Singapore. Being there will allow me to blossom in my role and really make a difference. I love the fact that it’s never truly cold (even if it does dip to 21 degrees on occasion), and I already have some friends there so I know I will be fine. But Hong Kong has been and will always be such a very special place to me – births, deaths and growing up as both a child and as an adult. It has given me love and heartbreak, but all the while caring for me and giving so much more than it could ever take away. Goodbye, Hong Kong. I will miss you! (But I will be back!)

 

Like this? See more in our Living in Hong Kong section

Relocating? There’s an app for that
Five things I wish I’d known about living in Hong Kong
Expats guide to where to live in Hong Kong

Subscribe to Expat Living magazine now so you never miss an issue!

Categories: Living In Hong Kong Tags: British Expat Hong Kong Leaving hong Kong Living In Hong Kong

Get the latest events, stories and special offers
sent to your inbox.

By signing up, you'll receive our bimonthly newsletters and offers, which you can unsubscribe to anytime.

You May Also Like

Street Talk: A Guide to Peng Chau

HK People: Meet artist Yulia Shautsukova

health benefits of having fun

Why having fun is so important

Primary Sidebar

  • COMPETITIONS & OFFERS
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Expat Living Hong Kong, All Rights Reserved.