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Home from Home | One year recap: I do not regret move back to the UK from Hong Kong, and still have two places to call home
- A year in the Weald of Kent is ‘so far so good’, with beautiful scenery, clean air, dark skies, as well as soaring energy bills and tax everywhere
- Cliff Buddle feels as if he still has one foot in Hong Kong while embracing life in Britain. Both places are home for him
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Time, it seems, can simultaneously appear to pass at lightning speed while proceeding slowly. This is how the past year in Britain feels as I mark the first anniversary of my departure from Hong Kong.
The 12 months swept by so quickly I have barely had time to draw breath. But when I recall my sad farewell to the city, from a deserted airport, it seems to belong to another era. So much has changed, for me and Hong Kong.
Leaving, after almost three decades, was extraordinarily hard. I had no idea whether I would enjoy living in Britain, having not even visited for three years.
At first, the total absence of Covid-19 restrictions was a revelation. But I have, somehow, managed to avoid catching the virus here.
Most of my other concerns have not posed much of a problem yet. The cost-of-living crisis has hit people here hard. But after living an expat lifestyle in Hong Kong, the food here is relatively cheap. Energy bills are steep, though, and there is a tax on everything.
My interactions with the ailing National Health Service have, fortunately, been limited and handled efficiently. But I worry about getting seriously ill. Everyone, including nurses and doctors, appears to have been on strike.
A journalist for more than 30 years, Cliff Buddle began his career as a court reporter in London and moved to Hong Kong in 1994 to join the Post. He returned to the UK in August 2022. Specialising in court reporting and legal affairs, he has held a variety of editorial positions, including Deputy Editor and Acting Editor-in-Chief. He is a regular columnist.
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