When I turned 36 in Sydney I celebrated my birthday at the London Hotel in Balmain. You know the one with the wrought iron balcony and the best view of The Bridge a pub can offer. It only came to my attention as I was thanking my friends for being there that night they were all MEN. Now I don’t mean to boast but for a bachelorette in Sydney I was doing quite well. At that dinner of 9 men only two were gay and the rest were single. I remember turning to two girls sitting at a nearby table and suggesting they join in. Needless to say my bachelor flat mate made sure that evening those girls were not too jealous.
Why do I write about this you say? What has this got to do with Hong Kong? Who is interested in my former life? The reason is simple.
In the last month I have had two conversations with friends here about the lack of male friends. This conversation took place with other female friends who too were used to spending time with men. There are many women who just gravitate to male company as against spending time with women. Those people survive here but after a while you start to notice the lack of men in your life.
Sure I have three men in my life, but a three-year-olds conversation is a little different from a thirty-year-olds conversation. In the past I have had no issue with my husband if I go out with my male buddies, in fact in Sydney last year I even slept in the same room as my old room mate. I can’t imagine life without some of these men but here in Hong Kong I have no choice.
The best male friend I have is my husband; we are old friends going back twenty years, who then got married. So we have lots of common interests and stories. But even here in Hong Kong he’s not around to chat with. My friends are now female and outings, dinners and lunches are often all female based.
I go to lunches held by the AWA (American Women’s Association) and if you see a man there you presume he’s the guest speaker. If you see a man in the company of a woman you know, you automatically presume they have company. We are a member of a dinner group but more than often I go on my own, because Peter travels, and why I go is I long for that ‘male’ input into conversations.
I do have a male friend here and this is so unusual. The two women I was talking to about the lack of male company were completely jealous when I told them that I have a male friend here. Stuart my single male friend has been most helpful to our family. I’ve rung him up to fix a cupboard, hang a picture and even pretend to be Santa because Dad just wasn’t around to take a call from my oldest as to why didn’t get a train in his gift bag at the Mall!
So if you are planning on coming to Hong Kong as an expat be warned this is a top-heavy female place with Men being the novelty because they are AT WORK.
