Thursday, November 16, 2017
Iona Olivia Graham, from Loughborough University, England
September 11, 2017
Today I went to the beach with two of my friends who also don’t have lectures on a Monday. We went to a beach called Repulse Bay on Hong Kong Island. We took the MRT from Kowloon Tong to Central, got off at Exit A and then took the 216 bus to the beach. The beach was beautiful, with clear sand and tree’s dotted along the coast. Throughout the day, we walked along the beach, swam in the ocean and got some lunch at one of the restaurants, I have avocado and eggs as I had not eaten western food in about three weeks so was craving it when I saw a western restaurant. Unfortunately, there were a lot of Chinese tourist that visited the beach throughout the day who many of them asked to take pictures with us as we had blond hair which got really annoying so about half way through the day we moved up the beach to a quieter spot which was a lot better. We also stayed to watch the sun set fall over the bay which was truly stunning, overall a beautiful and relaxing Monday.
September 12, 2017
Tuesday I have 9 hours of lectures which is a pretty long day. I have Social Media marketing 9am-12pm, Consumer behavior 3pm-6pm and Team Leadership and Management 7pm-10pm. To tell you in a little more in detail: In Social Media Marketing, we started our individual presentations about a trending event in the media that happened the week before. Consumer behavior we were discussing consumer motivation and personality and in team leadership and management we formed our groups for the semester. My group was made put of three local Hong Kong Students a girl from Canada, Switzerland and me! We got given a group assignment to present Pecha kuccha presentation for next week. Apart from that I used the residence gym for a quick workout.
September 13, 2017
Today I had my first lecture at 9:00am which was Globalization and Business. We formed groups, in my group were two Swedish girls a guy from China and a guy from India. We got set a group exercise which we completed in the lecture, later I had Microeconomics. In the afternoon, I met up with some of my friends and we planned/booked a trip to Singapore which I am really excited about as I have never been and have heard it is such a wonderful city to visit. In the evening a group of us went to the Happy Valley Race Course in Causeway Bay and watched the horse races. There were about 8 different horse races, the atmosphere was fun with a lot of the locals betting of the horse’s. We headed back just before the last race to miss all the MTR traffic!
September 14, 2017
Today we did one of Hong Kong’s famous hikes Lions Rock. I did it with three of my friends. We took a taxi to the start of the hike which only cost us 30 HK and when we arrived we started the hike. It took us about an hour and a bit to reach the top. As we climbed up the trail we were joined by a group of monkeys’ that followed us up all the way which was cool. At the top of the hike it was beautiful we could see all of Hong Kong from the rock. We sat there for about 45 minutes chatting and we watched the cloud clear and move away as the view became even more spectacular. Once we got back to residence we all got ready to go out for some dinner in central at an Indian restaurant called Bombay Dreams. It was one of my friends 20th birthday’s. Around the table, we had 7 different nationalities which was so interesting to talk to so many different people, it’s one of the reasons why I chose to do exchange at CityU because so many people come from all over the world.
Today a group of 6 of us from CityU planned a big expedition. We took the MTR all the way over to Yau Tong and changed for the Hang Hau line. Where we got on one of the small local minim buses to this small town, which I can’t remember the name off and stocked up and snacks for the day. Then we got into a taxi to the start of the hike in the Hong Kong Geopark. The park was beautiful. There was a huge reservoir and a beautiful view of the sea. We sun creamed up as it was 33 degrees and started the 6km hike to the beach. Truly the most beautiful hike yet, we sat under the trees as it was far too hot to sit in the sun and we chilled, swam and hiked up behind the beach for even more stunning views. At about 6pm we got a water taxi back to the town where we could get the bus from. The boat was super fun and fast. We grabbed dinner at a Chinese restaurant and had some noodles until we headed back to the residence for a well-deserved sleep.
Today I went to the beach with two of my friends who also don’t have lectures on a Monday. We went to a beach called Repulse Bay on Hong Kong Island. We took the MRT from Kowloon Tong to Central, got off at Exit A and then took the 216 bus to the beach. The beach was beautiful, with clear sand and tree’s dotted along the coast. Throughout the day, we walked along the beach, swam in the ocean and got some lunch at one of the restaurants, I have avocado and eggs as I had not eaten western food in about three weeks so was craving it when I saw a western restaurant. Unfortunately, there were a lot of Chinese tourist that visited the beach throughout the day who many of them asked to take pictures with us as we had blond hair which got really annoying so about half way through the day we moved up the beach to a quieter spot which was a lot better. We also stayed to watch the sun set fall over the bay which was truly stunning, overall a beautiful and relaxing Monday.
September 12, 2017
Tuesday I have 9 hours of lectures which is a pretty long day. I have Social Media marketing 9am-12pm, Consumer behavior 3pm-6pm and Team Leadership and Management 7pm-10pm. To tell you in a little more in detail: In Social Media Marketing, we started our individual presentations about a trending event in the media that happened the week before. Consumer behavior we were discussing consumer motivation and personality and in team leadership and management we formed our groups for the semester. My group was made put of three local Hong Kong Students a girl from Canada, Switzerland and me! We got given a group assignment to present Pecha kuccha presentation for next week. Apart from that I used the residence gym for a quick workout.
September 13, 2017
Today I had my first lecture at 9:00am which was Globalization and Business. We formed groups, in my group were two Swedish girls a guy from China and a guy from India. We got set a group exercise which we completed in the lecture, later I had Microeconomics. In the afternoon, I met up with some of my friends and we planned/booked a trip to Singapore which I am really excited about as I have never been and have heard it is such a wonderful city to visit. In the evening a group of us went to the Happy Valley Race Course in Causeway Bay and watched the horse races. There were about 8 different horse races, the atmosphere was fun with a lot of the locals betting of the horse’s. We headed back just before the last race to miss all the MTR traffic!
September 15, 2017
Labels: 2017/2018 Semester A
Anne Churnakoses, CUNY - Baruch College, USA
Monday – 9/5/2016
On Monday, I ended class early so my friends and I wanted to head to the Chi Lin Nursery and Nan Lian Garden. Being only three stops from Kowloon Tong, it was a short and easy trip to make from school. When we got there, I thought it was very beautiful. It is amazing to see so much green amongst the tall high-rise apartments. I was extremely impressed to see “Golden Pavilion”; it was very elegant and beautiful look at. Overall the place was extremely peaceful and quiet, which is a big difference from the bustling Hong Kong that I have seen so far. I could imagine myself taking peaceful walks here from time to time. If you need some peace and quiet, or need to a break from studying, I recommend going here!
Tuesday – 9/6/2016
After class, I didn’t just want to go home so my friends and I were brainstorming what to do. One of us suggested the Ten Thousand Buddha Monastery. Never been, I thought “Sure, why not?” Located in Sha Tin, I noticed that there were a lot of steps – 431 to be exact.
Walking up the steps, there are Buddha statues guiding you to the top. I couldn’t help notice that some of them had very funny faces and poses. My friends and I would point out which ones we thought were the funniest. We reached a point in the stairs where there was a pavilion. From here, we saw beautiful Buddhist statues and the skyline of Hong Kong.
Inside one of the temples, we decided to get a fortune done. According to my fortune, I will have to suffer in order to reach happiness. Not sure how I felt about the suffering, but I’m satisfied that I will be happy in the future. This monastery was very different from what I am used to seeing, but it was definitely unforgettable.
Wednesday – 9/7/2016
As a foodie, I have to make sure to go to the best restaurants in Hong Kong. One of the restaurants on my list was Australian Dairy Company. Everyone raves about their breakfast so I knew I had to go. After waiting 15-20 minutes, we were seated. There were a lot of amazing choices, but I decided to get the set which was spaghetti soup, scrambled eggs, and plain toast. It was very delicious! Even after eating my whole set, I was still craving, so I ordered toast with butter and condensed milk. The toast one of the best things I ate in my life. It melted in my mouth and it was so sweet, it made me think I was eating a dessert. I highly recommend everyone to come here for breakfast – it is worth the wait!
Thursday – 9/8/2016
When we arrived at the mountain, we were confused by where to start so we went to the information center. “You know this is the hardest route in Hong Kong,” the employee told us. Hearing that, I was nervous because it was my first time hiking ever, but I thought “It is not going to be too bad.” Well, well, well, I proved myself wrong.
For my first hike, I never felt so tired in my life. We started walking at 10:00 am and we didn’t finish till 6pm – A 7 HOUR HIKE! I couldn’t believe that I did something like that, but I saw amazing sights; from the skyline to waterfalls, it was so beautiful. Also, during my hike, we had a bunch of mishaps that would later turn into funny memories later. While it was very tiring, I made good memories. I recommend everyone to go, but make sure to prepare yourself!
Friday – 9/9/2016
After hiking 7 hours, I was a bit tired so I decided to take it easy. All of us decided to go hang out in Mong Kok for the night. Even though I live near Mong Kok, I never been there on a Friday night. Now I am wondering why I haven’t since Mong Kok is so alive on weekends. They close down portions of the streets so that vendors, street performers, and people can gather. I loved seeing older people singing to old Chinese songs because there would be people dancing and clapping along. I also enjoyed seeing the street performers; one in particular that I remember performed Michael Jackson before jumping through a hoop! I highly recommend for everyone to visit Mong Kok on the weekends; you won’t regret it!
Labels: 2016/2017 Semester A
Jessica Uong, San Jose State University, United States of America
Monday 2/13/2017
With Mondays being the day with the most classes, I spent most of my time on campus. Though in the evening, I found some time to get away and go explore a little! Finally mastering the MTR after weeks of being here, I never fail to be amazed by Hong Kong’s waterfront. Just alongside it, tall skyscrapers can be found and it reminds me of my home in San Francisco, California. Though I admit that I wasn’t completely sure where I was and how to get there again, I’m just happy to have been able to snap some pictures in what felt like the perfect lighting and time of day. Aayush, one of my first friends here in Hong Kong, is pictured with me. We always tried to take as many pictures possible to send back to our parents to prove that yes, we are making friends. No, we are not lost or dead. Yes, we are happy and fed. :)
Tuesday 2/14/2017
Tuesdays are one of my completely free days and I love to be able to sleep in and start my day late, something I don’t get to do a lot back at home. Though I have the urge to spend all my time exploring, a girl just needs her beauty sleep. This Tuesday, we went on a temple crawl to visit some of Hong Kong’s treasures. Though the beauty of The Ten Thousand Buddhas amazed me, I absolutely loved the tranquillity of the Chi Lin Nunnery. What amazed me, even more, was how much culture was found amidst the modern-day skyscrapers. I loved how every picture I took at the nunnery featured Hong Kong’s city life behind it. It was sort of inescapable and it just symbolized to me how so much history was among us and how mixed the past and the
present is, something that’s just so different from home.
Wednesday 2/15/2017
This Wednesday, there wasn’t much going on. I had class in the afternoon, and like every Wednesday, a group of exchange students would head to the race courses. I opted to stay in and spend some time with the locals/ my hall mates. My roommate happened to have studied abroad in America last year and I always love hearing stories from her abroad experience. My suite-mate is from Mexico, a country that many people know that America currently has some political turmoil with. Despite it all, though, we’re the best of friends and have grown inseparable from each other. Sometimes, you don’t need to go far to experience and learn about culture and tolerance. Just having a night in’s, open conversations and an open mind can be all you need.
Thursday 2/16/2017
This Thursday, I had the opportunity to be a part of GSO’s event! They had a little talk/ presentation with about 30 students about fashion around the world and they invited me to speak about fashion in America. I was really excited because even though ethnicity wise I am Chinese and look exactly like everybody else in Hong Kong, there is so much more to me than just that. I am proud to be an American and it was so heartwarming to be able to share a little bit about my life to students from all over the world. I sometimes forget that I’m not in America anymore and not everybody knows what I mean when I say some things. It’s such aculture shock to learn the differences and see what
makes us all so different from each other.
Friday 2/17/2017
Luckily for me, Hong Kong is the home to my aunt, uncle and some cousins. I always try to go over to their house to spend some time with family. Even though my parents are across the world, my family here makes me feel a little less homesick every time I go over. And the food is always amazing. I’ve never been able to spend more than a couple days with my aunt before but she’s become so important to me and I love being able to spend so much time together. She’s done everything for me to make sure I’m adjusting well, and without her, I would be such a mess! I’ve gotten to know my cousins here better and really understand what the culture is here like for those who grow up on the opposite side of the world from me. Every moment I get to spend with them is treasured because though the world is big, the love from family is even bigger.
Labels: 2016/2017 Semester B
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