My co-worker Sister S and I had a good laugh this week about all the different kinds of advice that people ask from us. We're starting to feel as if we give off some kind of aura that makes people feel that we have the answer to any questions that they may have.
Some of the things I have been asked at work this week include:
- 'How do I shave without getting getting pimples?'
- 'Should I marry someone of a different religion?'
- 'How can I get fat?' (this is a very common one)
- 'How can I lose weight?' (my first time getting asked this in HK)
- 'Should I give up my UNHCR application?'
The best question for this week was recieved by Sister S. A young couple came in together and the guy said 'Madam we want marry but I asylum seeker, have no visa. Please telling what to do?'.
This couple only have English in common (which limits communication quite severely) and I was intrigued to know how they met. Everyone here was in stitches when the guy proudly told us that when he first moved to Hong Kong their apartment windows were in clear view of each other. They used to look at each other a lot and one day she wrote up a sign asking for his telephone number. He gave it to her and that's how it happened!
Saturday, March 13, 2004
Thursday, March 11, 2004
The Police
For a month now, I've been teaching a twice weekly English class to asylum seekers. Most of the students are from Ethiopia and Eritrea and the class is very important to them because the UNHCR doesn't currently have a translator for their native languages.
Most of the lessons relate either to surviving in Hong Kong or interacting with the UNHCR. I've been making all the resources myself and today's lesson was titled 'Police'. This is an extremely important topic because when asylum seekers are stopped by the police the way they act can have some influence on whether they will be imprisoned or not.
Asylum seekers in Hong Kong are technically illegal. Hong Kong is not a signatory to the UN convention on refugees and asylum seekers here apply to the office of the UN High Commisioner for Refugees (UNHCR), not the HK government. In the past, the UNHCR referred asylum seekers to the immigration department and they went on an official 'recognizance' arrangement, having to report to immigration once a month.
More recently, HK immigration generally refuses to put asylum seekers on recognizance. Instead, asylum seekers make their application to the UNHCR and then let their HK visa expire while they await the outcome. This means that most of the asylum seekers in Hong Kong (more than 1000 in my estimation) have overstayed their visas.
The government can not afford to lock up all these people and there really is no need to. When police officers stop asylum seekers they generally just check that they have a valid paper from the UNHCR and let them go. On the occasions that they send people into detention it is often the case that the asylum seeker was caught working. Once sent into detention, an asylum seeker's case with the UNHCR will proceed from the inside and UNHCR officers visit the immigration prison frequently.
The stupidity of this situation is that it is at the disgression of the police who they will detain and who they will allow to remain free. In a way, anybody involved in this whole mess is operating outside the realm of law. Asylum seekers are technically illegal and the police are technically neglecting their duty when they allow asylum seekers to remain free. My job thus involves aiding illegal immigrants and helping them to survive in Hong Kong. It's all a very messy grey area and any group providing shelter to homeless asylum seekers in HK (a desparate need) would be housing illegal immigrants.
Anyway, the police lesson was a lot of fun but it came too late for one of our regular visitors who was detained yesterday. This guy is quite young and he called me from the police station last night in tears. He might have been released except that he lied to the police and told them that his passport was with the UNHCR. It was actually at his house but he probably feared that the police would go there and arrest his friends who are also asylum seekers.
Despite this bizarre situation, my class today had lovely things to say about the HK police. In general, everyone agreed that they were polite and much less corrupt than the police in their own countries. Despite their illegal statuus, some students had even approached the Hong Kong police to ask for directions!
Most of the lessons relate either to surviving in Hong Kong or interacting with the UNHCR. I've been making all the resources myself and today's lesson was titled 'Police'. This is an extremely important topic because when asylum seekers are stopped by the police the way they act can have some influence on whether they will be imprisoned or not.
Asylum seekers in Hong Kong are technically illegal. Hong Kong is not a signatory to the UN convention on refugees and asylum seekers here apply to the office of the UN High Commisioner for Refugees (UNHCR), not the HK government. In the past, the UNHCR referred asylum seekers to the immigration department and they went on an official 'recognizance' arrangement, having to report to immigration once a month.
More recently, HK immigration generally refuses to put asylum seekers on recognizance. Instead, asylum seekers make their application to the UNHCR and then let their HK visa expire while they await the outcome. This means that most of the asylum seekers in Hong Kong (more than 1000 in my estimation) have overstayed their visas.
The government can not afford to lock up all these people and there really is no need to. When police officers stop asylum seekers they generally just check that they have a valid paper from the UNHCR and let them go. On the occasions that they send people into detention it is often the case that the asylum seeker was caught working. Once sent into detention, an asylum seeker's case with the UNHCR will proceed from the inside and UNHCR officers visit the immigration prison frequently.
The stupidity of this situation is that it is at the disgression of the police who they will detain and who they will allow to remain free. In a way, anybody involved in this whole mess is operating outside the realm of law. Asylum seekers are technically illegal and the police are technically neglecting their duty when they allow asylum seekers to remain free. My job thus involves aiding illegal immigrants and helping them to survive in Hong Kong. It's all a very messy grey area and any group providing shelter to homeless asylum seekers in HK (a desparate need) would be housing illegal immigrants.
Anyway, the police lesson was a lot of fun but it came too late for one of our regular visitors who was detained yesterday. This guy is quite young and he called me from the police station last night in tears. He might have been released except that he lied to the police and told them that his passport was with the UNHCR. It was actually at his house but he probably feared that the police would go there and arrest his friends who are also asylum seekers.
Despite this bizarre situation, my class today had lovely things to say about the HK police. In general, everyone agreed that they were polite and much less corrupt than the police in their own countries. Despite their illegal statuus, some students had even approached the Hong Kong police to ask for directions!
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
Chicken Wing available
7:30 Tuesday night and still no call beckoning me towards Hollywood stardom. If this was my chance to debut with Aishwarya Rai I might be heartbroken but missing the chance to be exploded won't kill me.
Besides which, I really should be at work tomorrow to accompany someone to the doctor.
In the meantime, I thought I'd share this wonderful business card which I noticed today:
Namaste Construction and Laxmi Restaurant
Our services:
- Construction work
- Fresh pork supply. If ordered, pork chop and ribs available.
- Good food cooking by experienced cooks for any party if you order.
- Good quality water supply.
- Chicken Wing available.
Besides which, I really should be at work tomorrow to accompany someone to the doctor.
In the meantime, I thought I'd share this wonderful business card which I noticed today:
Namaste Construction and Laxmi Restaurant
Our services:
- Construction work
- Fresh pork supply. If ordered, pork chop and ribs available.
- Good food cooking by experienced cooks for any party if you order.
- Good quality water supply.
- Chicken Wing available.
Sunday, March 07, 2004
'I was pushed by Milla Jovovich'
Okay, so I went for the casting interview thing on Saturday and got some goss on the film.
It's called 'Ultraviolet' (based on a cartoon I think) and has something to do with vampires. It's supposedly set in the future and I guess that might be why they are shooting stuff in futuristic Honkers.
Anyway, this week they are filming an explosion scene over three days. Since I can only make Wednesday I'm not sure what my chances of getting called are. Basically, Milla and a boy are escaping from a subway that is about to explode. As they run they push through crowds and thus they need a crowd of extras.
I'm not too fussed about the whole thing... actually most of all I'm thinking it might be a good opportunity to finally finish reading 'Middlemarch'. One day of shooting last twelve or so hours so I guess there is a lot of waiting around.
Still, if I do get called in I've decided I'm going to get a t-shirt printed:
'I was pushed by Milla Jovovich'
It's called 'Ultraviolet' (based on a cartoon I think) and has something to do with vampires. It's supposedly set in the future and I guess that might be why they are shooting stuff in futuristic Honkers.
Anyway, this week they are filming an explosion scene over three days. Since I can only make Wednesday I'm not sure what my chances of getting called are. Basically, Milla and a boy are escaping from a subway that is about to explode. As they run they push through crowds and thus they need a crowd of extras.
I'm not too fussed about the whole thing... actually most of all I'm thinking it might be a good opportunity to finally finish reading 'Middlemarch'. One day of shooting last twelve or so hours so I guess there is a lot of waiting around.
Still, if I do get called in I've decided I'm going to get a t-shirt printed:
'I was pushed by Milla Jovovich'
Friday, March 05, 2004
Well I had a call from my agent yesterday and...
For some time now I've had a running joke with some of my friends that I'm aiming at Bollywood superstardom. I've got the language down and I've been working on the dance moves for quite a while.
Prior to starting working in Hong Kong I had been hoping to take a trip to India. I thought if I went near Bombay I would give a try at turning up at a film studio and seeing what happened.
When my job and visa for HK worked out so fast that idea faded. Never did I expect that my Bollywood dreams might be replaced by Hollywood ambitions.
Okay, okay... so I'm exaggerating a bit but there is some truth in here.
I have a friend here who makes a living out of bit parts in Chinese films. He told me a month ago that his agency is always looking for foreigners for extra roles and I gave him my number to pass on to them.
So yesterday I got a call from 'my agent' Bee (how is it possible that I know two people with this name?!?). I'm to go to the agency tomorrow to register because they are looking for people for a film next week.
The crazy thing is that Gwailo B is going to be in this movie too. I called him today and he was in the studio having costumes fitted (I guess he has a real part!). And the second crazy thing is that it is a Hollywood film starring Mila Jovovich!
Anyway, I might not even get in, esp since I can only spare one day next week. Eitherway I'll try and blog tomorrow about my trip to the agency...
Prior to starting working in Hong Kong I had been hoping to take a trip to India. I thought if I went near Bombay I would give a try at turning up at a film studio and seeing what happened.
When my job and visa for HK worked out so fast that idea faded. Never did I expect that my Bollywood dreams might be replaced by Hollywood ambitions.
Okay, okay... so I'm exaggerating a bit but there is some truth in here.
I have a friend here who makes a living out of bit parts in Chinese films. He told me a month ago that his agency is always looking for foreigners for extra roles and I gave him my number to pass on to them.
So yesterday I got a call from 'my agent' Bee (how is it possible that I know two people with this name?!?). I'm to go to the agency tomorrow to register because they are looking for people for a film next week.
The crazy thing is that Gwailo B is going to be in this movie too. I called him today and he was in the studio having costumes fitted (I guess he has a real part!). And the second crazy thing is that it is a Hollywood film starring Mila Jovovich!
Anyway, I might not even get in, esp since I can only spare one day next week. Eitherway I'll try and blog tomorrow about my trip to the agency...
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