Lison Chaillou – Level 3 – International Hospitality & Tourism Management
“You can leave Hong Kong but it will never leave you” Nury Vittachi, Hong Kong: The City of Dreams
Going to Asia as always been on my bucket list. I had the chance to spend my exchange semester in Hong Kong at Hong Kong Baptist University, the only Asian partner university with QMU and here is how it went:
Before Departing:
Since I chose to study IHTM at QMU, I knew it was possible to do a semester abroad. I applied to study abroad in January 2023 and a few months later, I found out that I was accepted at HKBU in Hong Kong for the second semester of my third year. With the help of Laura and the International Office at QMU, and after weeks of email exchanges, all my required documents were done except for the most important one, my HK student visa! I started panicking a bit as my flight was book for the 3rd of January and finally, two days before, on the 1st of January I received an email with my visa! I was now ready to fly to Hong Kong!
First week, the University and my classes:
HKBU is situated in the centre of Hong Kong, close to every facility and with great transport links. I had 4 classes there, so one more than QMU. The education system is a bit different as in every of my classes throughout the semester I had group presentations and essays to give back, as well as midterm and finals. In general, the workload was heavier than at QMU which can sometimes be a bit hard to manage as I was trying to be well organised to balance with my social life. It was also interesting to see how they teach here compared to Scotland. Because I had the chance to be flexible with my modules, I really chose classes that I was really interested in such as my “HK and the World” class where throughout the years we saw the development of the city on a historical, cultural, human, and geographical point of view. I also chose to study Mandarin there to be able to communicate with the locals. Most people in Hong Kong speak Cantonese, Mandarin and English. However, since HK had been given back to China a lot of people are speaking Mandarin.
On the first week, I was so jet lag! But because I wasn’t the only one, most exchange students were hanging all together and this is how I met my friends! A lot of exchange students are French (like me), so it was nice to speak the same language. Later in the semester, my group of friends became more international, as other (mostly European) people join us. On the induction day, we learned more about Hong Kong food which was so nice! The SCSU never stopped fascinating us with its abundance of free events and the huge number of goodies we received during the semester! I’d also like to thank them and the HKBU International Office, who were always there for us if we needed them. The first few weeks so many events such as barbecues, creative painting sessions and cultural trips were held so it was very easy to meet people. Those events really set the tone of the semester and as time went by, everything got better and better.
Accommodation:
I decided to stay on campus as it was pretty cheap and convenient and the best opportunity to meet new people. The student accommodation was a bit old, and you have to share your room with another person. The room was small and it’s really hot in Hong Kong, so I had to put the AC almost every night. Even if the student halls weren’t the nicest place (compare to QMU accommodation for example) and my roommate was very noisy, I’m really happy I stayed on campus as I met some really good friends there. Many events were held during, and most exchange students lived on campus, so it was easy to make some friends and we really had fun.
Finances:
Hong Kong is known to be in the top 10 Wealthiest cities in the World in 2023, which obviously had an impact on my daily life as prices are high. Budgeting for this semester can sometimes be difficult, but I was careful, and I managed my money quite well. I was fortunate to receive the Lisa Persdotter Simonyi funding which covered my insurance, my flights, accommodation, visa and some of my transportation. I’m really pleased to have been able to receive this financial aid, which made this exchange possible for me. My experience abroad has been memorable thanks to this scholarship. However, despite this substantial financial support, I also had to work on the side and save money before the semester because living in HK for 5 months without a job can indeed strain your finances. The university supported us daily and the canteen, for example, was really cheap and offered a variety of Asian and Western dishes too.
Hong Kong has my heart:
Hong Kong is known to be called the city where East meets West. As it was previously a British colony, the city blends Asian traditions and culture with a Western affluence. It’s obvious that I’ve had a culture shock, from the food to the climate, the lifestyle, the language and the people, everything is different from Europe, and I enjoyed every moment of it.
Hong Kong is situated between the sea, the mountains, and the forest, offering activities for everyone and every taste. I really enjoyed the many hikes we have done around the city, giving me the best views of HK. Some of them start in the mountains and allows you to finish the walk on the beach, feet in the water while enjoying the sunset.
For those who like to go out, Hong Kong’s nightlife is amazing. Different types of clubs and music, but the most special place for me was the Horse races at Happy Valley on Wednesday nights where lots of locals and expats bet. More than a horse race, it’s a friendly place to go out or to do business at the rhythm of the various concerts that are also held there.
Another benefit of Hong Kong for me is the food. I loved wandering around the streets and discovering how Chinese cuisine has blended so well with western cooking techniques, resulting in cakes like pineapple buns, egg tarts and pork chop rice. All kind of cuisine can be found there, from Michelin restaurants to street food. I loved discovering Hong Kong culture through the food. Different gastronomy from all over the world come together in this city, especially other Asian cuisines. The university is 10 minutes from the Thai neighbourhood, and we were able to eat pad Thai for only £4.
Travels:
While HK has amazing places to visit, it’s also a city centred in the heart of Asia, it was then easy and cheap to travel. I had the chance to see the great wall of China and Beijing, flew to the Philippines and Vietnam where I had the best time by discovering other Asian cultures and traditions, temples, people’s daily life, beaches, and nature. As mentioned before, even if travelling to places in Asia is usually cheap, saving up for travelling is needed if people want to travel out of Hong Kong.
Overall experiences and acknowledgement:
Overall, this experience has been one of the best of my life. These last few months have been filled with emotion and the chance to meet new people. I have met some friends from all around the world and I’ve also discovered people, cultures and traditions that make me want to travel the world even more. I’ve come out of these 5 months in Asia more mature and I’ve managed to find myself able to get out of my comfort zone again. I’m proud of myself for living in a new country all alone (again) and I’ve become more confident. Finally, I’d like to thank Laura Stevenson and the International Office of QMU, Susanne Ross my PAT, and Gemma Blackledge-Foughali for supporting me since I arrived at QMU as an international student and even more so during this semester in Hong Kong. Laura, I’d also like to thank you for your work, and especially for supporting me in the best but also in the more complicated moments of this semester. I would also like to thank Lisa Persdotter Simonyi for making this semester financially possible and allowing me to explore HK at its best.
Hong Kong it’s only a goodbye.
Thank you.
