The Turtle that I am......

Tomorrow will mark the seven year anniversary of my arrival in Hong Kong - this time around. I also lived here between the years of 1988-1992.
That's a total of 11 years- if math is not your thing.
In 1988, I was a new mum with a 6 week old baby.I was 19 years old. My partner at that time- the father of my three children and the man I went on to marry and then divorce, had lived in Hong Kong before.
He was a fan, and had talked about it often.
The end of the eighties- you may recall- was a time of recession, at least in Australia and my now ex, then 32, was working as an architect.
Architecture does not do well in recession.
At that time I had only ever lived briefly in Singapore, Australia and New Zealand ( which is my birthplace).
But with Hong Kong, it was love at first sight.
To this day, I still love it here.
Its vibrancy, its variety, its quirkiness and its sense of Yes continue to keep me entertained.
Don't get me wrong, I have my MAJORLY low tolerance days too.
And for a while there at the end of 2009 they were out weighing the good days, but I rediscovered bush walking and my equilibrium has somewhat been restored.
Breathing space is an important factor in every one's life, and breathing space has to be actively sought out in this city of 8 million inhabitants, and 25 million mainland tourists a day ( not an accurate number but those of you who live here know what I mean).
The local Chinese- predominately Cantonese speaking Han descendants - have a term for our mainland cousins.
That term translates as 'Dirt Dumplings' an unkind, but incredibly accurate, description of the many millions of newly wealthy, slightly missing the mark, day trippers who flood into the shopping malls dressed to the nines in mismatched designer clobber carrying plastic bags stuffed with freshly minted cash and an attitude that says " I am here for a good time, not a long time, don't mind me if I spit on the floor, I will pay with my titanium credit card and can I have a discount?".
But they are not the only Mainlanders we get to meet, oh no.
A favourite with the Gweilo's- the foreign devils ie: people who look like me- are the tour groups replete with a flag waving guide and matching hats- who traipse through the club and bar areas of Lang Kwai Fong, So Ho and Wan Chi taking photos of themselves standing next to white people drinking.
I am not kidding.
Every evening, and all evening Friday and Saturday nights, tens- possibly hundreds- of thousands of rather crumpled and bewildered families who have travelled to Hong Kong for their 'once in a lifetime' holiday will be found standing staring with mouths agape at the westerners sinking back a cold one or two after a tough day at the office.
I have no idea how that is sold to them in the brochure, but I imagine it goes something like
" at 7pm we will pick you up from your hotel and travel to an area packed with white/black and brown people , many of whom will have large breasts and be dressed in short skirts with high heels. Marvel at how they do not speak in Putonghua, how they are tall, and how they stand passively at a slight distance from one another as if requiring some kind of 'personal space'. Don't forget to bring your camera, as these foreign devils love having their photo's taken with rich people from the motherland. You will not have to tip"
We gweilo love them so because of the sheer audacity of approach-which usually involves walking up, standing RIGHT next to you and posing as if you were a concrete garden ornament that the folks back home would LOVE to see. A quick flash of the 'V' for victory sign, and it's all over. Painless really, except for when it's not.
Ah, you have to laugh.....really....you HAVE to......so here I still am,only now I am 40 and the baby is now 21 plus there are two others, a 19 year old who was born here, and a 16 year old who was born in KL.
Life has moved on, and one day I will too.
Not just yet though.
Yesterday I had a long discussion with 2 of the angels I helped create about why I choose to live here, and there is no real easy answer other than to say that at the moment it feels like home.
I would, one day, like to spend a few years in Venice, and perhaps even London, but for now I live in a busy, outward looking, pulsating, eccentric city.
To the people living here who have made this journey interesting and life affirming, and the city who has helped me discover who I am, I salute you.
XXXX