My First Belly Ache in Hong Kong

A few days ago I began to feel a bit lonely and disconnected.  Every time we leave the house there is some sort of a challenge.  Everyday monotony doesn't always come easy.  These challenges are nothing overwhelming; they could be something as simple as trouble ordering a meal, or street directions only having Chinese characters.  However, when these difficulties add up it can weigh on you.  This is not culture shock, culture shock is different.  Culture shock is more of the initial "what am I doing here, what am I going to do with myself, what is that weird meet hanging in the market" kinda thing.  This is more of a weight you carry, mostly related to language.

So I did what any blue blooded american would do (while feeling lonely and disconnected)... I ate at McDonalds.

To satisfy curiosity: Micky D's here is about the same as it is in the states.  

Cantonese: Child Teacher/ Child Toucher

A few weeks back we were in the United States; the only sources I had for information on Hong Kong were two tourism books, the internet and a few acquaintances.  By all accounts, Frommer's and web alike, Hong Kong was THE place in Asia for English speakers.  Let me set that straight. 

This is not some semi-chinese english wonderland.  THIS IS CHINA! 

SOME CONTEXT: until 1997 Hong Kong was a province occupied by British rule.  Before the "handover" in 1997, when HK became an official territory of China, the official language here was English.  An additional complication is that Hong Kongers (as they are so referred) speak a different dialect than the majority of Chinese people- in HK the locals speak Cantonese.  To call the distinction between these two tongues a dialect is kind. In fact, the difference between Mandarin and Cantonese is less like the difference between Staten Island Jew and Southern drawl, and more like the difference between Italian and Spanish.