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By Ling Ng
Studying in the UK was a satisfying and memorable experience in my life. As an English-major student, I feel that learning in such an ideal English speaking environment is an access to academic and professional success. To communicate with British and other-language speakers in various settings ranged from formal academic discussion to casual daily conversations, it was essential for me to use English as a lingua franca and observe individuals’ differences in accents and styles which a language professional should be sensitive to. This furthered my interest in the varieties of English in which I will seek for more in-depth study in the future.
Apart from enriching my academic development, one of the valuable opportunities that the exchange programme provided was to work and socialise with the students there. During the five months of study, I was able to meet students from different parts of the world including the UK and other countries like Germany, Greece, Mexico and Brunei. During lecture or after-class time, I had exchange ideas with the locals and the international students about the learning atmosphere in UoS, the cultural differences between Hong Kong and their home countries, and our (mis)conceptions about different nationalities. These interesting interactions definitely equipped me with interpersonal competence and cultural awareness as a global citizen, not mentioning the invaluable friendship I developed with my learning fellows.
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University of New Brunswick, Canada
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By Mimi Shum
Exchange program – a different life experience
New Brunswick is a province that I had never heard of before my exchange program application, but it’s the place I could not forget ever after.
Being an exchange student in the University of New Brunswick, UNB, I experienced many new things which I could not imagine before—renting a room with housemates, studying Latin and travelling alone. As I might be the only Hong Kong student (probably in the whole school in Saint John campus) in UNB for the exchange program, I needed to push myself very hard to meet more different people from places around the world. I could really admit that the cliché “travelling to different places in the world can broaden one’s horizon” is true! Today, I have friends from the Netherlands, Denmark, Ecuador, etc. These are the places in which I’ve never been to but are all in my wish list now!
Although having new experiences are exciting memories, there are still some unforgettable hard times when I’m away from home alone. I would always remember how anxious I was when my final apartment in Saint John was still not confirmed yet, and how the “extremely cold” weather in Canada made me so uncomfortable—it was so cold and dry there! However, I believe that those hard times are also few of the precious moments in my life!
Exchange program is a very good experience in my life to equip myself in being a more independent person. So, for those who’re still considering, why not give it a go and experience it yourself?
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Linköping University, Sweden
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By Shandi Leung
The six-month life in Sweden is one of my most colourful experiences so far. It gives me numerous first attempts, like joining local parties, jumping into the ice pool, lying on the snow and travelling alone, which I have never imagined or would not have had the courage to do! It also allows me to know more about myself. I found myself actually braver and more capable than I thought I was, and I have become more confident. Besides getting to know more about myself, I’m so glad to have developed friendships with people from different countries in my courses as well. We even went travelling together, which were good chances for cultural exchange and improving English speaking skills in chitchats. It’s fun to teach my foreign friends Cantonese buzzwords which they found interesting too. Seeing is believing. My student exchange journey is really eye -opening. I’ve always heard that student exchange can “broaden one’s horizon” since I learnt this phrase, but I don’t think I can truly realize the meaning of this saying until I have experienced one on my own. Although I need to defer my study because of my exchange programme, it’s totally worth it!
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University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE), Italy
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By Jeffrey Ng
Italy is a place full of passionate people. I have had a lot of precious memories here in Modena.
First of all, I made a lot of good friends here at university and at the residence, we exchanged a lot about our own languages and cultures, we cooked for each other, hanging out all the time and are still keeping in touch up to this moment. My Italian friends are really nice and fun to be with, they taught us the authentic elements and techniques to cook Italian food, took us out to places and play group sports, I am sure that my exchange life here would not be this fruitful and memorable without them.
I am surprised and delighted that they are really interested in Hong Kong culture and current affairs, which made me feel very heart warming because people outside Hong Kong do concern about our situation. Therefore we never get tired of discussing and exchanging ideas about news, politics, sports, etc, from our own country.
And I am really glad to have myself exposed to different languages and culture because I got the chance to travel around after examinations. There is always a lot to see and experience, because there are many different languages and cultures close to each other in this lovely continent, which boosted my passion towards learning as many foreign languages as possible.
Moreover, things can be very spontaneous. When I was travelling alone, I could go wherever I felt like to, discover new things both intentionally and unintentionally, meet people of different origins and really feel the cities and culture. I made a lot of friends from around Europe and the world, some of them are still keeping in touch with me. It has always been fascinating to talk to local people and travellers and listen to their own stories and of course I also did the same. The interaction with the people I met are the most precious and memorable experiences I’ve had in this half a year in Europe.
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A life-changing journey
By Linus Ng
Students go on exchange for various reason. I made a decision of going on exchange with some expectations: meeting new friends across the world, learning a new language, and experiencing a new culture.
I did achieve what I wanted to. I learnt about Italian culture through many ways; I tried to adapt their teaching style, made a lot of Italian friends, tried to speak their language (not easy) and many more! The hall I was living in allowed me to interact with the locals easily. Italians are very friendly and have a genuine interest in other cultures. We had many fruitful conversations about the similarities and differences among different cultures.
While on exchange, I am confronted with challenges in everyday life that I have never experienced before. Adjusting myself to a completely different culture is not easy. However, the difficulties associated with the exchange semester has taught me countless life lessons. At the end of the exchange period, I am confident to say that I now possess a greater understanding of foreign cultures and diplomacy. Although there are many wonderful moments during exchange, sometimes I needed to deal with homesickness and feelings of alienation. When those happened, I reminded myself of the reasons I joined the exchange program. I have enjoyed the good and overcome the challenges in a semester abroad. The whole exchange experience is very rewarding and I have new found strengths to deal with the challenges ahead.
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University of Jaen, Spain
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By Michael Wong
That’s what makes your life a unique one
You can never imagine how unique your exchange experience will be. You can never imagine the people you will meet and the life you will live. It will be a nice chance for you to see the clearer of you and not to hinder your personal development. I met quite a number of people from different countries and I believe we could be lifelong friends. At school, having group projects with people who are not from Hong Kong is also an interesting thing as all of you may come from a different cultural background and some efforts will be needed to cooperate with each other. The way their professors teach will also be different. You could definitely learn something else, other than those from the classes. For example, to me, I would say I have learnt how to enjoy my life. This is because in Spain, because of the hot weather, they would have a “siesta”, in other words, afternoon break, from 2-6 pm. This is one thing that you could never imagine in Hong Kong. Taking a break from the sluggish life from a hustle and bustle city like Hong Kong is undoubtedly a boon to us.
So, don’t hesitate and join an exchange programme!
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Kansai Gaidai University, Japan
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Japan: The dream I dreamed
By Rachel Wu
There are countless reasons for you to fall in love with Japan: the houses and streets that you see in Japanese cartoons; the perfect climate that keeps your hair nice and tidy throughout the day; the supermarkets and convenience stores that have everything you want, especially for Japanese food lovers like me.
You might think a tourist can experience the above in Japan and why should we study here? The truth is there will be a lot more that you are missing out. One of the best memories studying in Japan is riding my bike to school every day, which had been a dream of mine since my childhood. A bike is the best company in exploring the alleys and bridges here; moreover, it saves you lots of money in transportation. Another unforgettable experience is to make my own cups and bowls in ceramics class and more than twenty “masterpieces” are being kept safe at my home right now.
Concerning language requirement, it would be great if you know some Japanese; even if you don’t, Kansai Gaidai is still an ideal exchange destination because you will have many opportunities to practice speaking English with the international students surrounding you at school or in the dormitory. As for Japanese, the school provides intensive classes based on your proficiency level in the language. Besides, with our Chinese language background, you should have no troubles surviving in Japan.
Right now, you might be intrigued by the ideal life without school pressure; at the same time, you might have a lot to worry about. There is a quote to remember whenever we are afraid to make a change in our life. “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” Try everything. Do whatever you can while you can.
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Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea
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Most inspirational experience
By Kitty Mak
An overseas exchange experience can compare with nothing but only with how much you are willing to put effort into it. From the first day planning to stay in Korea to the very last day there, everything was beyond my expectations and very inspirational. To name a few, my foreign roommate and my Korean language classes as shown in the picture would never be on my bucket list before joining this exchange.
I was arranged by my host university to live with a Mexican roommate whose habits and culture are so much different from mine. It took a really long time for us to adapt to each other yet this is the first time I ever understood how much endurance and patience ones needs when encountering culture difference. Sometimes it does require abundant time of sharing a room together in order to truly accept an acquaintance’s flaw and turn out to become a lifelong friend. I believe that every relationship I built in Korea makes this experience unique and worthy.
After taking care of myself independently in this exchange, I must reinforce how inspirational it is than I ever thought. Most importantly, every return student’s cooking skills would definitely be improved for the sake of saving expenditure overseas.
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