Chronicle of an Italian in Macau

Macau for beginners

Asalways, when we start a new job in a foreign country – the same has happened to me when I arrived in Portugal in 1998 – we must manage time between daily tasks and bureaucracy.

The days are always full, rushing between offices and client meetings.

Apart from our daily work, it is also necessary to go to the bank to open a current account, to the accountant to check contracts, to the solicitor to check how to obtain the necessary visas, etc.

However, the priority in this first quarter of 2014 is studying the local market.

About Macau: Macau has seen an unimaginable growth and the world of casinos can offer great deals. Last year, Macau had a turnover seven times higher than Las Vegas! Every day, 100,000 Chinese tourists come to Macau (98 %) to play in the 35 casinos of the city!

I’ve watched people in casinos with supermarket carrier bags bags full of money, playing in slot machines!

A game room at the Venetian, the largest casino in the world, is as big as a football field.
And almost every casino has its own electrical substation, generating enough power to supply a small Portuguese town.

Very few people speak English and nobody speaks Portuguese (apart from the Portuguese who live there); even though Portuguese is one of the official languages ​​of Macau.
At first, Macau fascinates you, and then you realize that day life is not very different from Europe.

As for the business world, I’ve come to the conclusion that we have very different habits.
At the beginning of a meeting, for example, they always offer you a glass of water, but it’s a glass of warm water. I never drink it!

Another habit: They always offer you their business card, holding it with both hands.
Now I do the same… As the saying goes: “When in Rome, do as the Roman’s do!”