Soon I will be on my way lugging my two luggages and a bagpack to HK! How exciting, except for the gloomy sky that was very apparently a few moments ago. I know I'm going to miss SZ as much as I missed my old place when I first moved. The food, people and places I've been to - it'll form memories.

Despite my less than fantastic stint here, I did feel like I've seen and learn more. I guess being a city of immigrants, SZ would be very similar to Singapore. But it isn't. Migrants came to Singapore when Singapore was a fishing village and today, two to three generations have emerged. Most ties with their ancestors in PRC have been lost. In SZ however, most of the people here have families in the countrysides whom they still very much have contact with. They work here, perhaps have families here, but they still return home on new year, which could be some 2000km away. In short, SZ is not considered their first home, unless they grew up here in the first place.

Because of this demographic mix, the lifestyle here is surely different from Singapore. Needless to say, the type of people here also vary. In a bustling city, you can still come across people who just wish to live simply - no ambition of a BMW or ten credit cards. All they want is to earn some money, send some back to mummy, and spend/save the rest. They don't seem to be in a hurry to plan for their future. Singaporeans of my age now are wondering when we're going to nail that apartment down River Valley or Grange Road, or wonder if we'll ever have the chance to have our own office in UBS, Switerland.

I suppose it's because these people whom I've talked about haven't got the chance to study much. They probably know only mandarin and their dialect. It's not difficult to see why some of them have to resort to escorting or low-paying jobs in SZ.

On the other hand, there are those who've been to universities. They are more forunate to have a position in downtown or in MNCs. This group of people is similar to Singaporeans. They yearn to excel in work. Of course, with their much higher pay, they can afford to spend some time playing golf or go to pubs on a weekly basis. Some can be so rich they spend several thousand yuan in one night.

The rest who don't fall into these two categories are those who have either been to universities but work in smaller firms. hence middle-income, or have had enough working experience to land them a decent job despite not having a certificate.
It is not easy to stereotype people here because there are just a myriad of Chinese from different provinces who come to SZ to work and live.

Because most of them come here alone, the people here make friends with others and form groups of their own through a messenging system that's similar to MSN. From there, they make more friends and that's how most people overcome the issue of loneliness. It is not uncommon for friends to address one another as brother or sister. Some would also share a rented apartment or have gatherings on a weekly basis.

In my own words, this is like an American lifestlye in an oriental concept. Like Americans, one comes out to work and live alone, spending very little time with the family. Yet, one has ensure that his/her family is well-taken care of at home by sending back money or something else of sort (filial piety). It is something which will never happen in Singapore because our workplace is located at most two hours away from our residence, and that's if one is travelling by bus. But if one is working overseas then it's another matter altogether.

As I wrap up my last entry in SZ, I also seal up the memories I've had here (including the day I spent my 24th birthday here).