Wow! I can’t believe two months have already passed in my four-month exchange! Hong Kong is fast paced city to say the least. People walk faster, and even the escalators move at a more accelerated pace than what I am used to in Vancouver.
Rush hour on the subway (aka MTR) is like nothing I have experienced before, there is a sea of people and if you do not keep up with the flow, you will get bumped around. However, once you become accustomed to the quickened pace, everything becomes more efficient.
I have really enjoyed my time here at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). It is my first time living on campus and it has been great meeting fellow exchange students and local students. I am somewhat fluent in the native tongue of Hong Kong, which is Cantonese, but once I arrived in the city, I noticed that everyone speaks quite fast. This often made it difficult ordering food at restaurants since the waiters would often move quickly between tables. If you like food, especially seafood, then Hong Kong is the place to be. There are numerous all-you-can-eat sushi buffets, freshly baked Hong Kong pastries can be found on many main streets, and, of course, there are Hong Kong’s famous “cha chan tengs,” which are affordable restaurants with Hong Kong cuisine.
The main concern I had upon arriving in Hong Kong was getting around. I soon found out that concern was unfounded. The seemingly complex MTR system is very efficient and easy to navigate. MTR stations are found throughout the Hong Kong region. Trains come every few minutes and you can move from one side of Hong Kong Island to the other within the hour. This convenience has allowed me to fully explore Hong Kong! Prior to coming, I was not aware that Hong Kong had beaches, so I was pleasantly surprised to find numerous scenic beaches with picturesque, clear blue waters on quiet islands away from the city. The terrain of Hong Kong is composed of many mountains and hills so if you are into hiking, then Hong Kong has much to offer. Now, halfway through my exchange term, I can’t wait to see what the remaining two months have to offer!
Jeffrey Ho is in his third year at the Beedie School of Business, concentrating in Finance. He is currently on exchange at the University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong. Through exploring new cultures, meeting new people, and learning in a different environment, he hopes to use the experiences learned from exchange and apply it to all aspects of his life.