Stepping Out at the Dragon Boat Festival

Yesterday the weather observatory said that it was supposed to be sunshiny for today’s Dragon boat festival. They were partly right. The sun did come out, but it also rained. There were several venues in Hong Kong where the Dragon boat race could be viewed from. I went to the SaiKung venue. When I arrived, it was raining so I found some shelter. Stepping out at the Dragon Boat Festival meant talking with a variety of individuals. First I sat down next to an older gentleman and struck up a conversation. We talked about what a great opportunity the Dragon Boat race was for Hong Kongers to get out and have a good time. He expressed appreciation for the fact that everyone was welcomed to participate. On his team there were 6 guys and 4 girls and there were young people and old people. He thought it was a great bonding experience.

The Viewing Canopies

They set up these canopy tents all along the waterfront. On the one hand, I think everyone was grateful for them as they kept out the rain. We could enjoy the race without getting soaked. However, on the other hand, the public weren’t allowed to view from under the tents with out a pass. I didn’t have a pass. Not having a pass made for a great excuse to talk with lots of people. How could I get a spot under the tents to take pictures from? It took awhile, but eventually I was successful.

People from Different Walks of Life

The first person I met was a intern news reporter from the South China Morning Post. He asked me how I felt about the Dragon Boat festival and shared with me some of his expectations. He was having problems with his lens fogging up. Awhile after that I met Patrick. Patrick share his tissue paper with me as my camera lens was also fogged up. Next time, maybe I will remember to bring my own. Thanks Patrick. Then I met some of the orphans that Patrick was cheering for and some of the staff that work with them. David, a police officer, introduced Operation Breakthrough to me and gave me their business card. As I listened to him share, I began to see that the logo printed on their shirts “Sports Can Change Life’s” was more than words, it was something they deeply believed. I feel like I could go on and on about the people I met. There was the family from Kansas with their two daughters. I think the mom said that they had been living here for a year. The dad teaches English at an International School in MongKok. Their little girls were so cute and they attracted a lot of attention. Then there was the lady from mainland China that I sat next to. She was living here in Hong Kong doing financial research. I started the conversation with her speaking Cantonese, but she told me that she didn’t speak Cantonese.

Take Aways

What you take away from events like this depends a lot on you. I stood next to a photographer, who ignored my attempts to talk with him. He seemed to be there only for the photos. Photos are good and I am sure that he took away a lot of good ones. There is a saying that if you want a friend then you have to show yourself friendly. As a foreigner, I used to make excuses here saying people don’t really want to talk to me. They are into their own world’s and not interested. Sure, sometimes that’s true, but it’s not always true. A short while after that I met a younger HK Chinese guy. His friendly personality reminded me of someone from my old small group. We talked in Cantonese and in English. He filled me in on some of details that I had missed about the previous race, and I was grateful. As a foreigner, I think there will always be somewhat of a gap between what I understand and the total picture of what is really happening. That’s alright. It’s just the way things are.

Dragon Boat Races

Narrated Video With Jeremy’s Sharing