CHOY Pui-ying Pearl || BSc (Hons) Chemical Technology || University of Tromsø, Norway

Leaving her homeland and embarking on a journey faraway in Norway was unprecedented to Choy Pui-ying Pearl.

On her arrival in Norway, Pearl started working for The University of Tromsø, the northernmost university on earth. Assigned to work in the Department of Chemistry, she was responsible for preparing organic synthesis of pyrylium salts and a range of distilled solvents for her colleagues.

Despite working busily and independently in the laboratory, Pearl interacted with her colleagues during lunch. “We chatted about different things while having our meal which encouraged me to converse more in English,” Pearl recalls.

During the internship, Pearl also built strong bonds with other trainees from various countries. Among all the trainees Pearl met in the university, Pearl was impressed by an American trainee who was fluent in Putonghua. “I was surprised to meet a foreigner who could speak fluent Putonghua. He told me that he had studied Putonghua for several years,” Pearl says. This east-meets-west experience was an eye opener and another learning opportunity for Pearl. While both her spoken English and Putonghua were enhanced through the daily communication with the American trainee, she noticed how popular the Chinese culture was.

Born in a food paradise, Pearl made good use of her knowledge of food and cooking to mingle with her foreign friends in Norway. Besides introducing the flourishing dining scene and culture of Hong Kong to the foreigners, she took the initiative to cook for a trainee from Japan who knew nothing about cooking.

An Unexpected encounter

As Asian people are minority in Norway, Pearl never expected to bump into anyone from Hong Kong on that piece of land. However, there was once when Pearl and her Norwegian friends were having a coffee in a local cafe and she encountered the former HKSAR Executive Council member and Secretary for Education and Manpower, Li Kwok-cheung Arthur, the Chairman and Chief Executive of The Bank of East Asia Ltd Dr The Hon. Li Kwok-po David and their family. Overwhelmed by the chance meeting, Pearl struggled with whether she should go forward and greet the celebrity from her homeland. “At last, I collected my courage and approached Prof. Li. When I greeted him, he gave me a warm smile and expressed his joy to meet someone from homeland,” Pearl recalls in excitement.