Being in Hong Kong there are constantly people coming and going. Whether they are here on a layover, vacation, visa run, working or actually visiting you, you are constantly seeing or meeting new people. I have seen old colleagues, classmates, acquaintances, friends from 15 years ago, friends of friends, all passing through our city in the past 10 months. Most recently, my college roommate emailed me saying her sister would be in town. I had met everyone in the family, except this sister, but immediately volunteered to let her sleep on our couch.
While she was here, we talked about Hong Kong life–expensive rent, good foreign food, air quality, city life, hiking, public transportation–and once again I felt a refreshed perspective on the SAR. We went to drinks in a bar I love, and ate at the local Canadian restaurant (Big Bite) so we could have Poutine. Every time someone comes, I have to come up with new recommendations, I have to think of places to go that I like and therefor aren’t overrun, and I get to talk about all the things I love.
Rehashing the same topics can actually be exciting. Sharing a great city is half the fun of living in it.
There is also an added attitude, I have currently re-discovered, in welcoming people we don’t know. This is a thing that exists in all expat communities: you assume that the people who are also foreign (gweilo, yabancilar, ghariib) automatically have something in common with you and will probably enjoy having a chat. Sometimes in Hong Kong the expat community is too large for this–we’ve all been a little annoyed at the fresh study abroad student trying to make friends with us who is just amazed at the scene in LKF–but sometimes I am reminded how welcoming the community is. Acquaintances coming to visit is one of those times. Other times it is the email with events going on around the city, joining in a trivia group of people you just met in a pub, or meeting someone new and then immediately being invited on a junk boat.
Anyway, this post took a turn for the heartwarming. Moral of the story: I like living here, and I like people visiting. This is good because HK is really common for layovers. If you do stop by, let me know. We’ll grab dinner.
jamielynnwaters 
This is a wonderful part of life – hospitality is a gift! Funny how telling others about the things you enjoy makes you feel more content.
Hi Jamie Lynn, just wanted to stop by and tell you how much I love reading your blog. It is so refreshing to see someone write about their own thoughts without any inhibition and I find your writing approach so friendly and kind; like you would be having an actual conversation with your reader! I do think that whilst HK is so busy and everyone is busy doing their own thing, I am constantly surprised at the kindness and hospitality of our city.
Thanks so much! I’m glad you enjoy reading! You’re right, Hong Kong is definitely surprising; the constant reminders of that are what keep me happy here.