The Fast & The Furious: HK Friendships

When I was young and impressionable, a good family friend gave me a very important piece of advice.  He told me “VCarr, if you ever have the choice between a million dollars and making a new friend. Choose the friend…. Every. Single. Time.”  And at the moment, the advice seemed obvious: people over money. Got it.  But as I have gotten older, the simple directive has become words that I live by. I’m not saying I get offered a million dollars on the regular, but I have discovered that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, quite like discovering that the people you just met, have become friends worth treasuring.

Friendship in HK, is a bit like a roller coaster ride. It ramps up very fast. There are very intense fun and crazy times, and before you know it, it’s over: someone has left the city. But I have been blessed enough to have found some truly amazing people to share in this ride that is Hong Kong. And as I see the last couple of twists and turns ahead (including 2 final exams, and only a few days left to par-tay, I mean study). I want to make sure that I share some of their amazing-ness with all of you. In every instance, my faith in humanity has been doubly restored: people are inherently good and I love them.

A friend is chivalrous…. They carry heavy stuff. They make sure you get home ok, even if they have to walk you all the way there themselves.

A friend is committed… They stay out with you until the wee hours and dance with you at even the emptiest of bars…. And they always go with you to the diner after.

A friend is nice…. They take you to buy a cell phone when you first get to Hong Kong! They pick up your tailor made clothing (It fits!).

A friend networks…. They resuscitate your job search for you by giving you the name of someone that they thought you might like to meet.

A friend is smart… They sit with you for 2 hours and spoonfeed you the basics of corporate finance out of the goodness of their heart. (Sometimes daddies do that too! Hi Daddy! Miss you!)

A friend is multilingual… They speak Mandarin or Cantonese on your behalf so that the cab driver takes you where you want to go.

A friend is indulgent… They let you arrange them in funny poses so that your millionth touristy photo is not boring.

A friend helps you achieve your dreams…  They point out the bar. They remind you that you wanted to dance on it before turning 30.  They take pictures of you dancing on the bar. They stand shocked when you fall off of the bar, and they play along when you pop up and say you’re fine. But really good friends, I mean, really really good friends, well, they make you smile and take pictures of your bruises (read: badges of honor) the next day.  And they remind you that it wasn’t just a bar you were dancing on, there was a pole too!

But most importantly, friends can be from anywhere. You can meet them at anytime…. and you are always happy that you did.

If you are looking for particularly good friends may I recommend the ones at McCombs, LBS, & HKUST’s MBA Exchange Program! (They may not be Boothies, but they come pretty close). J