Moving to Hong Kong when you are from California sounds quite exotic, exciting but also a bit terrifying. Especially if you are not going along and you are bringing the whole family along with the kids. That’s why we asked a family from California that did this to share some tips with us and here is what we learned.
Before anything else
Before moving to Hong Kong you have to know everything one ex-pat needs to know in order to adapt there. Start by researching more about Hong Kong itself, then learn about their customs and culture. That way you won’t be in major shock when you relocate. You should also look up some vlogs that other Americans living there are recording daily. Most of them can be found on youtube. They usually talk about their life there, prices, cool places to visit, etc. This is a way to learn about Hong Kong before you even get there.
Preparing the paperwork
This is not just a regular relocation inside the USA. You are moving and going to a foreign country – another continent so there will be a lot of paperwork involved. It can be a smart move to hire a lawyer to help you out with this complicated process starting from the visa of course. There will be a lot more paperwork involved than just acquiring a visa so start planing and preparing on time. Now during the global pandemic, this can take longer than expected.
Medical paperwork
This is something no one will be asking you to do, so it’s easy to forget. You are moving to a whole different country so it’s important to get a medical history for all family members and bring that with you to Hong Kong. That way if any of you gets sick the doctors there will have a better picture and will be able to treat you. So, plan this too and go to your doctor and get from the pediatrician medical history for your kids too.
The process of packing
The process of packing should start with decluttering. Chances are that over time you have collected way too many items that you are not even using. Especially if you have kids. There is no need to bring everything with you. You can buy almost everything in Hong Kong, this is a very urban place too. So, start by decluttering and getting rid of all unuseful things you have in your home. That you will be able to see what you really have and prioritize. If you have plans to come back you should leave some things behind. That can be done by renting storage space. Research that a bit more if you have the need to leave some things behind. You will be able to find all the information about storage for rent near you online. Just a small tip – if you don’t plan on coming back soon look for temperature-controlled storage.
Preparing the kids for moving to Hong Kong
If you have babies or toddlers this will not be a hassle. They don’t really care where they live as long as you stick to their routine, bring their favorite toys, and are around you. Even though they look like problematic ones, they are not in fact they are quite easily adaptable. But you should talk a lot about moving to Hong Kong with older kids. Especially with teenagers – they tend to get fussier than babies. Show them all you learn about Hong Kong, show them where you will be living and where their school will be. Over time they too will adapt to the fact that this is where you are moving. Try to be understanding, this is a big transition, they don’t know the language so try to show them good sides too and explain them a reason why you are moving.
Hiring professional movers to help you out
Doing everything on your own will be way too complicated and hard if you try. That’s why people hire professional assistance like relosmart.asia for this task. That way you are only handling your side of the job and your kids and they are dealing with all the logistics, customs, planning, and of course heavy lifting. Doing it on your own will take much longer and due to the language barrier can get complicated, so don’t even try it. Leave this to ones that know the job.
Settling in after relocation
You will be tiered. That’s quite reasonable, but you will have a lot to do when you finally get to your new home. So in order to do this quickly, you can hire local teams to help you settle in. They can also help you with unpacking. The sooner you are done with this chore, the sooner you will be able to explore a new neighborhood and the city of course.
Living in Hong Kong
It’s ok if you have a weird feeling during your first few weeks here. Living in Hong Kong is not like living in California. People are different, so are the language, food, culture, and almost everything else. Give yourself some time to adapt to this big change in your life. The more you learn about their ways, the more you will love it here. Younger generations speak English so you will be able to talk with locals before learning their language. Their food might look weird for you in the begging by exploring it and surely you will learn to love it just like everything else. Ask your new neighbors about all the fun places you can take the kids to during weekends, they can probably tell you better than you can find looking online.
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