Since moving to Hong Kong 2 weeks ago, I've been thinking a lot about connection. How we live in a society that allows constant connection and how it is often taken for granted. My YASC placement is different from other YASCers' placements around the world because of the ease of connection in Hong Kong. Many YASCers are placed in remote areas where wifi is a luxury. The second day I arrived, I popped a new sim card into my phone and was able to connect with friends and family on the other side of the world.
Hong Kong is a city that prides itself on it's strong connection. The MTR, or Mass Transit Railway, is one of the most sophisticated underground railways. It has made getting around and learning the city a breeze. Also the complex underground passageways that connect the city are flushed with cell phone reception. Even the parks have free public wifi! These systems, which seem like luxuries in other parts of the world, are expected to (and do) run seamlessly.
While these strong connections help run the city, they also create a sense of disconnection. Everywhere you go, you see locals glued to their cell phones. While exploring the city, I've been run into many times by people not looking where they are going because they were texting. When you go to restaurants, people are not engaged in conversations, but instead are busy on their cell phones. I've grown up knowing that if I were to look at my cell phone during family dinners, there would be consequences. This has been a big adjustment for me, and makes me wonder why we allow our smart phones to run our lives?
A big part of my job with the Mission to Seafarers is to build connections with seafarers by visiting their ships at anchor. These seafarers are out at sea for many months, and often do not have enough time to leave the ship when they arrive in Hong Kong. Our job is to support these seafarers by bringing them local news, selling them phone cards so they can call their loved ones, or by just sitting down and having a conversation. Seafarers are desperate to connect with others because they are so isolated when they are out at sea. They do not have access to the internet and calls home can be scarce.
I think there is something we can learn from the seafarers. By allowing ourselves to be so connected all the time, we are in fact disconnecting ourselves. Maybe we should all be more patient for that text we expected hours earlier. Or maybe we should put down our phones and have a genuine conversation instead of playing candy crunch at lunch. Thats what I've enjoyed most about working with the Mission to Seafarers, connecting face to face a seafarer and sharing our stories.
