Dorm Life...

  Living in the dormitories have also been a new experience for me. I never had a chance to live in the dorms back in UH, so I can't compare how different it is in Hong Kong. The advantage of living in the halls is commuting is very convenient. From the residence halls, it takes about 10 minutes to walk (5 minutes if you run) to the lecture classes, and about 15 minutes to walk to the MTR station.

  As for activities within the hall, they hold events once in a while. In September, I attended the Orientation Camp within my hall. This is usually intended for Hong Kong local students because the dominant language used is Cantonese. During this Orientation Camp, you work together in teams to compete and make friends with people also living in your hall.

I was part of the Yellow Team!

  Aside from this, there are also Inter-hall Competitions. These competitions are like the Olympics challenged within the Student Residence. Each hall (I am part of Hall 7) chooses their representatives and challenge in sports. This semester, the sports are: swimming, track & field, and table tennis. It was a cool experience seeing all the halls (Halls 1~11) yelling against each other to see which hall would be louder.

My hall won 2nd place!

On a typical day at the dorms, I would eat dinner with friends and go back to my room to shower and watch youtube videos or chat with friends on Skype. On certain days, my roommate and two other friends would go down to the common room to watch a movie. We also did a cooking day where my roommate cooked Mexican food for us. At night, you would see other students sitting outside in the grassy areas or benches, and talk until after midnight.

Top: My Bros; Bottom: Students sitting in the grassy area

School Days...

After being in City University for two months, I have seen many unique lifestyles and activities held on campus as compared to my home university. It feels like everyday there is something going on!

Events

For the top left corner, it was Korean Culture Week. Students were able to try Korean food, play cultural games, and take pictures in Korean clothing. For the top right, there was an anime cosplay day. Students dressed up like anime characters and walked around campus taking pictures. It literally felt like Halloween for asians! They dressed and acted cute in their poses for pictures and there would be professional cameramen taking snapshots of these students! As for the bottom picture, the entire month of October has been voting of clubs. For these clubs to be recognized, students would dress up (there were the Smurfs, Ironman, Toy Story, etc.) and yell different cheers. Everyday I walk towards my lecture classes I would hear different cheers and see different clubs dressed in group outfits; so much more lively than days in UH haha. And they're yelling in Cantonese, which makes it more funny because I have no idea sometimes what they are saying.

Eating

 Festival Walk

Nam Shan Chuen

  If you ever get bored of eating at the canteens (cafeterias) on campus, you can always go to restaurants or the food court in Festival Walk shopping mall. The price range for food may be a little more pricey around 40~50 HKD per meal. On days I want to save money in Festival Walk, I would eat at Yoshinoya (20~30 HKD per meal) or McDonalds.

  Another option to consider would be to visit Nam Shan Chuen, which is right behind the university. In this area, there is a market to buy vegetables or meat if you prefer to cook. There are also small restaurants around this area that sell meals around 20~30 HKD. A lot of Chinese locals come to this area to eat lunch or afternoon tea after classes.

Keeping in Shape

As for my daily routine on school days, I have been going to the gym at least 3 times a week. Although their equipments are limited, you can improvise to get a good workout. They use a booking system in City University where you go online to choose what time you can lift. After you book a time, you head down to the sports center 15 minutes prior to confirm your booking. Even though you have to pay to use the gym, it only costs 3 HKD (~$0.40) for an hour. At the sports center, you can also book times to play Squash, Badminton, Basketball, and Ping Pong.

Group Projects

 Consumer Behavior Group

International Marketing Group

Now for serious business...I have found it very interesting working with Hong Kong locals for group projects. For our group discussions, they would speak to each other first in Cantonese and then translate back to me in English. It was very cool seeing how local students work as compared to my past group projects in Hawaii. In the beginning, we would all exchange numbers and start a group chat in Whatsapp (commonly used mobile-chatting application in HK). I have found that many students in Hong Kong are always very busy. If they are not in school, they are working part-time jobs. One difficulty for group projects is always finding a good day and time for everyone to meet and discuss our topic. Although their english may not be as fluent, working with local students has been a lot of fun. By forming groups with local students: you can improve your Cantonese, learn slang words, and expand your network.

Places To Go To...

For the past two months in Hong Kong, I've gone to:

• Macau
• Ocean Park
• Hong Kong Park
• Tai O

MACAU

On 9/14, I went to Macau with Beldon and his friends from Chinese University to do the Macau Bungee Jump. The experience was AWESOME! Since we were walk-ins to do the jump, we had to wait 2 hours to finally get to do the jump off the Macau Tower. This is currently the world's highest bungee jump where you jump off the 61st floor! The cost was 2,688 HKD and you get a t-shirt as a memoir that you did the jump. The first few seconds when you're in free fall was the best part!
Afterwards, we had dinner at a Portuguese Restaurant (which is always recommended to eat when you're in Macau). To finish off that day, we walked around the Venetian Hotel, Galaxy Hotel and checked out the casinos.

Ocean Park

On 9/15 and 10/19, I went to Hong Kong's Ocean Park! This is like a mixture of Hawaii's Sea Life Park combined with a huge Amusement Park. In Hong Kong, Ocean Park is a must-go at least one time. For the first time going, we went on all the rides we thought would be fun; and then we went through some of the aquariums and dolphin shows. For the second time, Ocean Park was Halloween-themed and had a lot of Haunted Houses to check out.

Tips:

• Go early, because the waiting time in lines get crazy if you go later in the day. The hours of Ocean Park are 10am-10pm, so we went once the gates opened.
• Do the rides you want first! Because the queue times will start increasing from 30 minutes to sometimes 1 hour. Then you can check out the aquariums
• Buy water before going onto the bus towards Ocean Park because food and drinks inside are expensive.
• Catch the cable car up! The view is nice!
• Bring a towel because you may get wet from some of the rides.
• If possible, GO ON WEEKDAYS because the weekends are usually very crowded!
• If you are going on exchange for a year or if you plan to go Ocean park multiple times, get the annual pass because each time you go is 320 HKD.

Hong Kong Park

On 10/13, we went to Hong Kong Park. This is a good place to visit on one of those lazy days where you don't want to do anything too intense and want to just relax. I loved this spot because it was a small, quiet park within a busy city area. You will see buildings and skyscrapers surrounding this nice park. In this park, there is also an atrium to see birds.

Tai O Hike

On 10/20, I went with some friends from City University to Tai O. We left early at 10am that morning and took the MTR to the Tung Chung Station and caught a bus to Tai O. From there, we hiked a trail towards Man Cheung Po. This hike was very long and tiring, but the view from the top was very nice!

It's already a month...

Hey! I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update my blog. I can't believe that a month has passed since the last time I posted. There are days when I sit on my computer, and have no idea how to start off my post. A friend once mentioned how there's "never a dull day in Hong Kong" and I see what she means. All I can say is: I love Hong Kong!

Trying new things, meeting new friends, and creating new memories...this experience is UNFORGETTABLE!

Beginning Weeks of School!

I have finished my first week of school and this is what I've learned...

HK classes vs HI classes:

• Are taught once a week (HI: may be MWF or TR)
• Range from 2-3 hours long (HI: either 50 minutes or a little over an hour)
• Have a 10 minute break (HI: no breaks)
• Lectures are taught in English (HI: same)

---

To keep myself active...

• Go Swimming!

          The university pool is 50 meters long. You pay 4 HKD ($0.50 US) each time...so cheap! Perfect for the summer time!

• Play Basketball!

          You can book the courts by student residence and play with a bunch of friends. If this court is full, you can go down to Shek Kip Mei Courts (5 minute walk) to another basketball court.

• Rugby!

          I also joined a Rugby team to learn the sport. There is only a 50 HKD ($7 US) registration fee and you meet every Monday and Thursday at 8pm. This was my first time playing and it is very fun! But I'm still learning the rules and basics...

• Weekly Badminton!

          I also joined the Weekly Badminton group offered by the College of Business Exchange Student Club, where we meet every Tuesday to play from 6-7pm. After playing, we would all go for dinner together and make new friends! This is my favorite sport!

Moving In...Orientation Week!

  Sorry I have not updated in a long time, but I've been trying to familiarize myself with the campus and the activities you can do!

Moving in...

  8/26: I went to the Student Residence to check-in and got my Residence Card!

Hall 7! (Right half: Hall 7 is on the left; straight ahead is Hall 11)

  I was assigned to the 3-person unit apartments: Hall 7, Jockey Club Harmony Hall. There are 11 halls that students (local and non-local) can live in. For Hall 7, our 7th-9th floors are 3-person units while the other floors are 2-person units.

3-person units
  Advantages:

• Your own bathroom shared among 3 of you (More privacy)
• Your own refrigerator, microwave, and heat plate for cooking
• Having a closer bond with 2 other roommates
• A/C price shared within 3 of you

  Disadvantages:

• No common room on your floor (Less opportunity to meet other students)

  For now, I have only 1 roommate, who is also an exchange student. He is Ricardo! From Mexico!

Meet my roommate, Ricardo!

  To meet more friends in the hall, you can walk down to the common rooms on any of the floors (G to 6). You can also get filtered water and wifi in these common rooms!

(left: Common Room, top right: Computer Room, bottom right: Function Rooms)

  Aside from the common rooms, you may go to the computer room or the smaller rooms to hangout with friends. Best part about going into these rooms is that you don't have to pay for A/C! For City University, you have to pay for your own A/C and so far...it has been about 1 HKD per hour when it is set at "quiet cool - 4".

  For laundry, you go to the top floor (10th floor) and walk to the end of the hallway. The price is 5 HKD per wash (~45 min), and to use the dryer it is 1 HKD per 4 minutes. If you do not wish to use the dryers, you can hang your clothes outdoors to dry and pick them up later.

Laundry Area

Orientation Week

  So for this week before the start of school, we were given schedules and programs of what we could attend to familiarize ourselves with the campus.

  8/27: After my 1st day of moving in, the next day I went to the Arrival Hall to pick up my Welcome Pack!

Includes: A guide, t-shirt, towel, and business card holder

  Afterwards, I attended the City University Orienting Luncheon, Session 1.

We got into groups to play a campus game that helped us learn where different departments or centers were. And had lunch on campus eating in a Chinese Dim Sum Restaurant. At the end of the day, we signed up to join the IKEA tour to buy our essentials and bed coverings. For the following 2 days we attended 2 more mandatory sessions to learn more about the university and the Exchange Student Club!

On Sunday (9/1), exchange students were able to join a One Day Trip to Lantau Island! We were able to see the Big Buddha, and visit Tai O (a fishing village with stilt houses).

Taking tour bus to Lantau Island

Pit stop at Cheung Sha Beach

Top half: Big Buddha, Bottom half: Tai O

Eating Vegetarian Lunch

Preparations Done, Now to Wait...

My preparations are complete!
Just yesterday (August 19) was the start of web registration period for all inbound exchange students, so I was able to revise my school schedule a little bit. Now I can relax and wait until I can move into the dorms!

Registration Process

After finding out that I was going to City University of Hong Kong, I received an email (shown above) with my login information to complete their online application form. Overall, the application process is very easy as they give you step-by-step instructions on what you need to submit. The only part that troubled me was the "course planning" section because I had to submit 10 courses they offered in the system before I could submit and complete my application.

As seen above, these were the 10 classes I chose. Make sure that the classes you choose are approved for transfer credits. You can get a handout with CityU courses that are equivalent to the courses offered in UH from either Darrell or Sara from MIX, or go to Shidler if you are a business major. I am very glad Rikki was able to help me through this process. You can also submit a petition form if you find a course offered in CityU that isn't listed on the handout, but teaches the same material as a course you need in UH for transfer.

On July 5th, I received an email regarding which of the 10 courses were approved and enrolled for me for the upcoming semester. From this, they will build a draft schedule of your classes.
On July 29th, I received an email to complete the "Online Pre-enrollment Process". Through this part you will activate your electronic ID (EID), so that you can login to your student account for CityU. You will also be asked to submit a picture of yourself to be processed on your Student ID. Once you have created your EID, you can login to see the pre-made schedule of classes the university has enrolled you in for the upcoming semester.

School on a Saturday...Yay...

Once your EID is created, you can login to see the pre-made schedule of classes the university has enrolled you in for the upcoming semester. If you like your schedule, you don't have to do anything and just wait until school starts. If you would like to add/drop a course, you have to wait until 2 weeks prior  (8/19) to the first day of school (9/2) to make any changes.

Housing
As for housing, you will receive an email around the beginning of April to apply for Student Housing and create a PIN. In the beginning of June, you will know whether or not you received Student Residence (I chose the 3-Person apartment unit). In Mid-August, you will receive which hall and room you will stay in.

**I'm sorry if I cannot provide information on applying for Student Visa because I am a Hong Kong citizen, so I do not need one.

Packing
Although I am already in Hong Kong, I do not advise packing a too much because you will shop a lot in Hong Kong.
Things I packed:

• 2 weeks worth of clothes
• Toiletries
• My Mac and electronics
• Unlocked phone
• Jacket (in case of rain or when it gets cold)

For the most part, Hong Kong is VERY HOT in the summer. So you will not need a lot of clothes until maybe mid-October or November. Once it comes closer to Winter, you'll want to go shopping for new clothes so...DO NOT BRING TOO MUCH. If you want, you can bring other essentials like...bed sheets? or a pillow? But there are shopping malls nearby the university for you to purchase any other necessities.

My Summer...

  Sorry, it has been so long since I updated my blog. So what have I done for the past almost 2 months?

6/15-6/28: I went to Taiwan. It was an awesome experience! To sum up what I liked about Taiwan in one word is: DELICIOUS! For the entire trip I was basically just eating. And the best part? It was cheap! The exchange rate for US $1 was about 29 TWD. On average, I spent like 50-100 TWD for each meal, which is only around US $2-4. Even if you eat a lot, US $20 is more than enough for a day.

5 main things I learned from the trip are:

• Be able to speak Mandarin, or at least have a friend that knows Mandarin
• Purchase an MRT card (convenient; you can go almost everywhere through the MRT)
• Have an umbrella (It rains unexpectedly)
• Go to night markets and eat all sorts of food!
• A lot of people commute on mopeds or bicycles, so watch out!

Since 6/29 I have been in Hong Kong. I am so thankful I can stay with my aunty until the dorms open on August 26. For the past month, I feel like I have been experiencing the everyday life of a Hong Kong boy during the summer. I have no school...no work...and the heat outside is intense! I thought there were some days in Hawaii that were hot, but Hong Kong has shown me a new level of "a hot summer day!" Aside from house chores, I enjoy staying indoors with A/C.

I will update more on studying abroad in Hong Kong once school starts!

Starting a Blog

Hello Everyone! Welcome to ~ MeBlog! For the Fall 2013 semester I will be going to City University of Hong Kong, and I will be posting my adventures of this awesome experience on this blog. I would really like to thank Mr. Graeme Freeman and Mrs. Doreen Freeman for giving me a scholarship to study in Hong Kong. I am so happy that I have been chosen as a Freeman scholar, because this opportunity would not have been possible without the Freeman scholarship. I will first be leaving to Taipei in the middle of June, and be in Hong Kong in July. I will update you all more on my trip later!