https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/1j7qbic/how_to_get_out_of_the_expat_bubble/
created by acuriousone03 on 10/03/2025 at 04:12 UTC
19 upvotes, 26 top-level comments (showing 25)
So I'm a Chinese American international school student who's grown up in an expat bubble never learning a word of Cantonese and staying in the mid levels my whole life. However I've been wanting to get out there and get out of this bubble. Any good way to? I now have learned basic Cantonese.
Comment by Conflicted_Nebula at 10/03/2025 at 04:31 UTC
42 upvotes, 0 direct replies
IMO it’s better to have a reason if you are trying to get into a local circle e.g. hobby-specific meetups or volunteer work with an NGO. Should turn out ok if you know cantonese~
Comment by Rupperrt at 10/03/2025 at 04:32 UTC
26 upvotes, 0 direct replies
hobbies
Comment by OnePhotog at 10/03/2025 at 06:16 UTC
14 upvotes, 0 direct replies
On the one hand, it it’s important to become integrated into the community.
On the other hand, the language and cultural barrier isn’t something most locals are willing to put up with. I wouldn’t hold any resentment for it and have a thicker skin.
The cultural and language barrier becomes easier to bridge if you have a smile and an essential skill that cannot be easily replicated.
Comment by Overthereunder at 10/03/2025 at 05:26 UTC
21 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Move out of mid levels and socialise more with locals and expats that have also stepped out of da bubble
Comment by BumblebeeDapper223 at 10/03/2025 at 04:45 UTC
7 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Hands On is a great umbrella group of NGOs. You can select the time / activity you want for volunteering, whether it’s helping at an animal shelter or making food for the poor.
https://volunteer.handsonhongkong.org/calendar
Comment by Calm-Box4187 at 10/03/2025 at 04:15 UTC
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Well, meet ups? I’m in the same category to be honest. Like it’s just normal.
Comment by alacklustrehindu at 10/03/2025 at 07:22 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Move away from Mid Levels.
Comment by False-Juice-2731 at 10/03/2025 at 07:59 UTC
4 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Get a part time job at a local store/ restaurant.
Comment by kenken2024 at 10/03/2025 at 04:50 UTC
14 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Well the easiest is to date a local Chinese girlfriend and be introduced to her circle of friends.
Alternatively meeting people via shared activities like running, tennis, hiking etc is also a good way to meet people. Meetup is a good option but likely it will have quite a lot of expats or westernised people there as well. See if there are some classes you can sign up for run by local organizations.
Lastly if you are religious (I personally am not but have many friends who are) I find people at church very accepting of newcomers.
Also important you keep improving your Cantonese so maybe try signing up for a class as well.
Comment by hoo_doo_voodo_people at 10/03/2025 at 05:40 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Join an ultimate frisbee team.
Comment by kyberton at 10/03/2025 at 07:48 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Find a space oil dealer and make friends.
Comment by JayinHK at 10/03/2025 at 08:17 UTC
3 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Ex-international school student here who now does speak some Cantonese, and I'm not Chinese. Makes for some fun interactions sometimes, especially in rural areas, since it's so unexpected.
Gotta use the Canto you do have (if any). Taking classes would help. There are locals everywhere to practice with. One of my coworkers is helping me with my Canto and helping me sound more local.
Now, there's a huge cultural divide between intl school kids and locals, so you might not get along with many of them. I certainly don't lol
Comment by one-bad-dude at 10/03/2025 at 07:01 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Come down from your lofty perch to where the local heathens are.
Comment by MacSushi at 10/03/2025 at 07:04 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Why would you want to? Lifestyle would be vastly different, and the locals who would accommodate to your interests would probably want to get into your circle, especially the ones who would step out of their comfort zone and date a non local. Not trying to be negative, just genuine opinion from an old “seafood”.
Comment by Chachaanteng2021 at 10/03/2025 at 05:24 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Please check out this channel, https://www.youtube.com/@yinogo1[1][2]
1: https://www.youtube.com/@yinogo1
2: https://www.youtube.com/@yinogo1
Comment by kr3892 at 10/03/2025 at 08:29 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Cross the harbour and visit the old town, like Yau Ma Tei or Sham Shui Po. Feel the vibe there. It is vastly different from the mid levels.
Comment by Busy-Management-5204 at 10/03/2025 at 08:40 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
From some of the comments I'm reading, follow up question is how far out of the bubble do you want to go? Are we talking young locals like in Central / Admiralty or perhaps Kowloon Tong or like locals SSP (no disrespect)?
Comment by Ill-Combination-3590 at 10/03/2025 at 09:31 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
i have gone out of the LIHKG bubble and became a social democrat, want to make friend?
Comment by kaicoder at 10/03/2025 at 10:15 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
If you like bat and ball games, there's loads of pickleball groups in hk now, with a good mix of english and cantonese vibe, try Reclub.
Comment by YerinJ at 10/03/2025 at 10:48 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Go to a local university
Also grew up in a semi expat bubble, never needed to interact with any local person until I went to a local uni, so many locals literally that’s 90% of the student body, if you want to, you defo can.
Comment by BigFluffyCrowLover at 10/03/2025 at 12:49 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Just befriend english speaking locals. Go buy a goldfish friend at the goldfish market.
Comment by Outrageous-Horse-701 at 10/03/2025 at 12:54 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Join meetup groups
Comment by may3rd88 at 10/03/2025 at 12:55 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Do you have a job? Hang out with the locals at work. There must have been some local kids at your school -try reaching out to them to hang out?
Comment by CheetahGloomy4700 at 10/03/2025 at 15:10 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Moved to Hong Kong from Singapore just a few months back. Have to say, this expat bubble concept is much stronger in Hong Kong than in Singapore.
I am not saying it's non-existent in Singapore, but it seems in general the expats integrate much more easily with the local Singaporeans and the line is pretty blurred. The bubble there is, is the rich people bubble but not segregated along nationality.
Comment by SolidAggressive8470 at 10/03/2025 at 20:10 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
honestly as a local ischool kid who used to have whitewashed atrocious cantonese, i started hanging out with more local school kids (full cantonese environment), watched tvb shows and canto content in insta reels (many creators add english subtitles), worked part time at local stores really helped.
i think you could start with befriending classmates who are locals and are also in touch with local school culture to expose urself more to cantonese, and practise ur cantonese more and more while u can.