Behavioural Greed
In spite of himself there exists a certain type of expatriate who never adjusts to life in Hong Kong. He imagines physical discomforts when all he is suffering from is the mental vexation of having to think along new and unaccustomed lines and he is forever counting the days until his leave is due and he will be able to go back home. Even though he is an adult he suffers the delusions of a homesick child. The food at home was better, the people at home were superior, it was more comfortable at home, there were greater opportunities and the streets were wider and cleaner. He often thinks of trying to find employment elsewhere. His delusions are very real.
However with each home leave his point of view changes. The visits home are seldom as pleasurable as anticipated. Old friends have interests that are no longer his and conversations are soon exhausted. Relatives die or get married and he is shocked to discover that he has more friends in Hong Kong than he has at home. However his delusions remain.
If he buys or builds a home in his native land he is more likely to give it a Chinese name even though he spent most of his life expressing contempt for everything Chinese. Retired he meets with other expatriates at irregular intervals supposedly to hear some speaker discourse on matters Eastern but he only really attends to meet others of his ilk and to talk about things only the old Hong Kong hand understands.
He has been blessed with memories, knowledge and worth which he did not morally deserve but he accepts them as his right. A right that is nothing more than the embodiment of behavioural greed.
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