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.