In the land of the little people...?

I knew coming over here that I would stand out because of my height (193cm or 6’4”). As with most changes, it is far easier, however, to conceptually grasp the new circumstances than it is to live in them. The truth is, I don’t fit in Hong Kong.

I don’t fit on the buses. Riding the bus from Yuen Long to the US Consulate was like some depraved yoga pose for me because I have to pull my knees up and together to keep from rubbing against the person in front of me. Going from the top floor of the bus to the exit on the lower floor, I have to bend in half. Picture to follow.

I don’t fit in the rooms. When I got into the shower this morning, I had three new marks that were not there yesterday: two on my back from running into cupboard corners while attempting to turn around and one on my head from banging into my cousin’s bunk bed while attempting to sit at the computer beneath it. This includes some stores too. I went in a bookstore with a laptop shoulder bag and could not fit into some of the side aisles. Never before have I understood so well the whole “bull in china shop” thing.

I don’t fit on the sidewalks. I must have stepped on Heleina’s shoes five times in the first day of walking around. The problem comes when we’re walking along a semi-crowded sidewalk and all of the sudden we’re in the middle of a market, with old people pulling carts, sweaty middle-aged guys delivering loads to the vendors, and hawkers with microphones drawing crowds (including my wife). Most of the time this system works like one of those famous Swiss watches, but when you insert a guy with giant feet and long strides, it works like an infamous Chinese imitation watch.

I don’t fit in the clothes. I know I am above average height, even in the US, but locals here are smaller in all proportions. I tried to buy a jacket when I was here two years ago because clothing is cheap here, but the shopkeeper had trouble finding a size big enough for me. I think we ended with a XXL. While killing time in a mall the other day I was looking at men’s jeans and the sizes ranged from 27-32. At least I will have motivation to lose weight. Likewise, we were in a shoe store today and I could not tell if I was looking at men’s or women’s shoes. I realized this was because they all looked the same size to me.