「我並不會在這座城市感到格格不入。」
從意大利到香港，Andrea Grippi 與很多滿懷理想的異鄉人一樣，夢想在這陌生的城市創一番自己的事業。對他而言，來到這裏或許會很孤獨吧，但機會總會為願意嘗試的人打開一道門。
獲得InnoHK的研究工作機會後，Andrea 最先入住了香港科學園位於白石角的InnoCell，隨後更成立了自己的綠色能源初創 Epago。公司由開始的一個人，逐漸發展到一個團隊，醉心開發高性能電池產品。Andrea與 InnoCell其他來自世界各地的住客鑽研的項目不盡相同，但他們在這座城市都追逐着同一個創科夢，漸漸凝聚成一個不可或缺的群體。
很多朋友都是Andrea在 InnoCell 的電梯、公共空間或廚房裏遇到。「我的其中一個朋友也在創業，我們相遇後一拍即合。當有一個跟你過著相同生活的人，可以互相請教、提問、甚至一起面對挑戰時，知識自自然然就會拼湊在一起。在剛開始時，我參與很多InnoCell 舉辦的活動，建立社交圈子非常容易。」
Andrea喜歡白石角臨海又恬靜，徒步走到公司，在沿途享受片刻的個人時光。最近搬到九龍西的新InnoCell分址，Andrea又發現到城市的另一面。「這邊十分熱鬧，為我們的日常生活增添色彩。偌大的廚房聚集所有喜歡烹飪的人，也有位於頂樓的共享空間 MindRoom讓我們邊喝咖啡，邊談夢想。附近亦有很多不同的餐廳，有家雲吞麵店便宜又好吃，這裏的一切無拘無束，讓我感覺如同身處在家般自在。」
在這座城市Andrea感覺到一種靈魂，像生命般躍動。「在這裡，你可以感受到一個充滿活力的社區。你可以走在旺角，那裡有着千奇百趣的人，甚至是一些更瘋狂及意想不到的東西。但他們展示的所有事情中，你可以清楚地感受到這個城市的靈魂，因為這座城市不僅僅只是建築物，而是由一個個不同的人，共同建立而成。」
作為一個外國人，在這裡 Andrea 並不會感到格格不入。「這城市的人大多會點英語，所以不必學習中文亦能溝通無礙。不過我認為廣東話是一種表達豐富的語言，所以我開始聽很多廣東歌，和其他住客相約到卡拉OK時，我會唱Beyond 的歌曲。雖然我的廣東話不太好，但大家放膽地唱，都能感受音樂所帶來的情感。」
也許這就是這座城市的魅力，在不同的想法碰撞下，這裡的人總會找到屬於自己的那道門。
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English Version
Souls that feel alive in this city
“You won’t feel out of place here.”
Moving from Italy to Hong Kong, Andrea Grippi, like many other idealistic foreigners, dreams of creating his own business in this unfamiliar city. While it may feel lonely to come here on his own, opportunities always open doors for those willing to try.
After obtaining a research opportunity at InnoHK, Andrea first stayed at InnoCell located in Pak Shek Kok, right near Hong Kong Science Park. He later founded his own green energy start-up, Epago. The company started with just one person and gradually grew into a team dedicated to developing hydrogen fuel cell batteries through innovative manufacturing techniques. Andrea’s project differed from those pursued by other InnoCell residents from around the world, but they were all after the same innovation and technology dream in this city, gradually forming an indispensable community.
Andrea met many friends in the elevators, common areas, and kitchen at InnoCell. “One of my best friends in Hong Kong is also running a start-up, and we hit it off right away. You have someone who leads the same life as you. You can seek advice, you can ask questions, you can face problems together. In the beginning, I participated in many events organised by InnoCell, and building a social circle was very easy.”
Andrea enjoys the tranquillity of the Pak Shek Kok seaside, walking to work and savouring moments of personal time along the way. Recently, he moved to the new InnoCell satellite in Kowloon West and discovered another side of the city. “It’s vibrant here and adds colour to our daily lives. The spacious kitchen brings together everyone who loves cooking, and there’s this shared space called MindRoom on the top floor where we can mingle and discuss our dreams over a hot cuppa. There are also many different restaurants nearby, including an affordable and delicious wonton noodle shop. Everything here is free-spirited, making me feel at home.”
Andrea sees Hong Kong as a living thing, pulsating like life itself. “Here, you can feel a vibrant community. You can walk in Mong Kok and see all kinds of people doing the craziest stuff. But in all this, you feel the soul of the city and people who care. Because a city is not just its buildings; it’s built by different individuals together.”
As a foreigner, Andrea doesn’t feel out of place here. “Most people in this city can speak some English, so communication is not a problem even without learning Chinese. However, I think Cantonese is a very expressive language, so I started listening to many Cantonese songs. When I meet with other residents at karaoke, I sing songs by Beyond. Although my Cantonese is not very good, we all sing our hearts out, and we can all feel the emotions conveyed by the music.”
Perhaps this is the charm of this city—amidst different ideas colliding, people here always find their own door to their dreams.
Storyteller: Innocell @Hong Kong Science Park
Artwork by Yuki Lee
Text by ZtoryTeller
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