【明報專訊】I'm a French exchange student, I live in Tai Po and attend school at Sha Tin. Hong Kong to me is a place where only a few would bother to speak English, and those who do struggle to comprehend my accent.

Cultural understanding is complex

Cultural understanding is a complex task. I am living in a city with a fusion of eastern and western lifestyles. I didn't come into contact with Chinese culture before. Even to an outgoing and boisterous person like me, engaging with the Chinese mindset can be a challenge.

I have observed the lanterns of the Mid-Autumn festival and the incense and the fire dragon dance in Tai Hang, spent time with my family during Chung Yeung Festival and experienced the Ghost Festival. I've tried looking beyond the burning incense, the lanterns, the fireworks, the moon cakes and the offerings to the deceased. The underlying theme is always the old respect for family and tradition.

Share beliefs without violence

Chinese festivals show us how to share our ideas and beliefs without violence. Hong Kong is a melting pot that demonstrates and spreads awareness of our culture and at the same time embraces different races with different celebrations such as Christmas, Easter and Ramadan.

Texts﹕Massini Yael

(an AFS French exchange student in Hong Kong)