【Dark Experiences from UK Immigrants】 | MiExpert | All-in-on

Many Asian immigrants are able to recall being victims of a couple of acts of racism during their time in the UK. These range from being harassed on the bus for no reason, being the only one checked for their ID in a cinema, or even getting scolded for purchasing Chinese takeaway. What is even more shocking is the fact that these racist acts were acted out amongst people of all ages, from primary schoolers all the way to elders. While racism is inherently hard to avoid in all countries, it does appear that Chinese people aren’t the most well accepted in the UK, so do keep that in mind. While it sucks to be on the receiving end of racism, it’s just as important to understand that racism goes both ways. The UK is a giant mixing pot of cultures, a culmination of people from various backgrounds, it is highly likely that you would meet people with cultures new to you being an immigrant from Hong Kong. With that being so, we might unknowingly project discriminatory expectations on people as a result of the culture shock. For instance, the common terms “acha” or “guilo” carry inherently negative connotations, so it is best to avoid using these slangs. Just as we expect others to treat us respectfully, it is just as important to keep an open mind and treat others with respect especially when travelling. Expenses vary from country to country, many immigrants warned that the average amount of money spent per day in the UK can be much more than that of Hong Kong. One such individual attempted to survive an entire year in the UK with just 100,000 HKD. While he did manage to get through the year in one piece, he had to go through a lot just to survive. There was a brief period of time where he had to sleep in the streets to avoid the skyrocketing prices of rental apartments, and many of his daily meals were spent in the greasy confines of McDonald’s since getting food outside is just so pricey. Having more money saved up is especially important to ensure you can live a life of comfort and convenience. Many prospective UK immigrants believe that the UK offers better academic opportunities for their children. Of course, this does have some truth to it, studying an international curriculum guarantees wider and more global recognition. What many parents do not realise is that the academic stress of studying abroad is actually quite similar to that of studying in Hong Kong. Many students reported the same amount of stress despite moving to what many parents consider a “less competitive” environment. Additionally, school rankings matter just as much in the UK as in Hong Kong! Many students who aspired to get into the Big 3 HK universities, settled with much more mediocre universities when in the UK, resulting in many wasted opportunities.