The elderly are invading the campus!

Since I woke up uncharacteristically early today (after sleeping particularly late - at 7am - the day before), I managed to make it to the canteen for breakfast today, and even managed to order the "glutinous rice wrap" that always run out as early as 8 or 9am. While eating breakfast at 7:30am, I didn't see a single student there, but instead saw dozens of elderly people.

It turns out that HKU is a popular spot for the elderly to do their morning exercise. Elderly Chinese people are surprisingly active - some do stretching exercises, some practise Tai Chi, and others practise internal exercises such as qigong. Yesterday morning, as a friend and I chatted on a bench outside my residence, we noticed people exercising as early as 5am.

For many elderly people, morning exercise is about more than just keeping fit; it is also a social activity in which they meet their friends, exchange gossip, and chat about their everyday lives. Even in Canada, both of my grandmothers did morning exercises. My late maternal grandmother did some stretching in her room at around 6:00am every morning, while my ailing paternal grandmother, until quite recently, went on morning walks, usually with friends she managed to meet during such walks.

After exercising, it's quite common for groups of friends and for individuals to eat breakfast. Eating breakfast is quite inexpensive in Hong Kong; both Western and Chinese breakfasts cost about $2 CAD at local fast-food joints and small cafes, and under $1.50 CAD at campus canteens. As soon as fast-food joints and campus canteens open, elderly people quickly fill them up. As electricity isn't cheap in Hong Kong, many people here escape their homes to enjoy the air conditioning at restaurants. If shopping malls had benches, they would hang out there, but they're forced to buy drinks or meals at restaurants. The elderly and unemployed eat their meals, but would nurse their drinks for several hours. That's why tables at such places are usually occupied, if not full. Whenever I eat breakfast at such places, I'm usually forced to share a table with people, and can usually overhear elderly people brag or complain about their children or grandchildren.

If I make it past retirement age, perhaps I'll be one of the old men who exercises in the morning and sits in the canteen for hours.