No Longer Local, Not Quite Foreign

Raised under London's ever-changing skies, I have always belonged to more than one place. My roots, though firmly planted in the English soil, stretched far beyond these shores, entwining with the vibrant, pulsating heart of Hong Kong-my seasonal sanctuary. Every summer, like clockwork, I would traverse continents to reconnect with my family, immersing myself in a city as multifaceted as it was mesmerising. Hong Kong, with its eclectic mix of cultures and its inhabitants-quirky, unfiltered, and endearing-welcomed me as both an insider and an outsider, a guest and a native son.

Despite the miles that separated us, my heritage was more than just the sum of my time in Hong Kong. It was a patchwork of influences-the fragrant whispers of Teochew, the gentle echoes of Taiwan, the understated grace of Japan, and the culinary traces of Malaysia, a nod to my grandmother's lineage. Returning to Hong Kong was never just a visit; it was a dive into the depths of my multicultural heritage, a reminder of the familiar yet ever-shifting landscape of my identity.

Growing up as an Asian boy in England, I straddled two worlds-never quite local, never entirely foreign. At school, I was the anomaly, the kid who packed cha siu bao alongside his crisps. In Hong Kong, I was the cousin with an unmistakable London lilt. Yet, rather than resent this in-betweenness, I learned to embrace it. Belonging was never about geography; it was about connection, curiosity, and the stories we collect along the way.

This book is a distillation of those stories-a collection of essays and reflections on identity, memory, and the quiet contradictions of a life lived between cultures. It is an attempt to make sense of the push and pull of belonging, the bittersweet nostalgia of places that change as soon as we leave them, and the universal search for home in an increasingly transient world.