Reality always hits hard; it's time for people to wake up. A Hongkonger who emigrated to Canada recently posted online, saying that upon first arriving, they were full of anticipation for a new life in Canada. However, after four years, they finally understand why some choose to return to Hong Kong.
The emigrant, now based in Canada, shared their immigration journey on the social platform Threads.
"Before I came to Canada, I thought the country was wonderful and looked forward to the new life here—driving around, hiking in the summer, and skiing in the winter." At the time, they also couldn't understand why anyone would choose to move back to Hong Kong.
When a friend who had decided to return to Hong Kong confided in them about the difficulties of finding a job and feeling unhappy with life there, the original poster questioned whether that friend was simply unwilling to endure hardship.
"When I first arrived in Canada, I happened to meet a friend who was preparing to return to Hong Kong. At that time, they shared that they weren't happy living here, that people weren't kind to them, and that they couldn't find work. I thought to myself, 'Maybe they just aren't willing to tough it out.'"
The emigrant originally believed that one could always find a job as long as they were willing to work hard. "There are plenty of ways to find a job, and you can just take any job to get by in the meantime. You could even buy a car and do food delivery or drive for Uber." However, reality soon set in, and they admitted, "After going through four years here, I finally understand what's really going on."
The post resonated with many netizens, who noted that Canada is no longer what it used to be. One comment read, "Toronto nowadays is completely overrated. The main reason is that in the 1970s–90s, Canada, as a whole, was better than Hong Kong, and stories passed down by parents and relatives have kept that good impression alive, so people don't realize how bad it's gotten. In reality, aside from ethnic diversity, the culture here is barren, hollow, and alienating, with stagnant development and no vitality. It has nothing to do with being 'international' and is worlds apart from major global cities. Then, from around 2000 to today, Hong Kong's median after-tax income is now 200–300 CAD higher than Canada's. Public safety, infrastructure, transportation, public efficiency, the banking system, technological and smart applications, and food diversity—all are better in Hong Kong. Public transport in particular is at least 30 years behind; over the past two or three years, Hong Kong has been upgrading to one of the world's most advanced metro and bus systems... Not to mention that the top five sources of new immigrants to Canada are all developing countries."
Another long-time resident said, "I've lived in Canada for 34 years and have watched it change. But when I told you all this, you guys didn't believe me—you even called me ignorant and a washed-up or obsolete old-timer. Fine, now look what's happened."
Other commenters echoed the sentiment, pointing to Canada's poor economy.
"Finding a job is really damn hard!" "Buying a car costs more than the peanuts you earn from Uber and food delivery." "I support returning to Hong Kong—it's really not worth staying in Canada. But for those of us already in too deep, there's no way out."
Related News:
Comment