Marshall Fung

I wanted to expand and redefine my world vision by immersing myself in foreign cultures and beliefs. My previous world perspective was constructed through local and national news channels which often contained some degree of bias and censorship. Therefore, I decided to study abroad in Hong Kong which I had experienced its cultural aspects through familial relationships but not its academic or political aspects. Experiencing these remaining perspectives enabled me to fully understand Hong Kong as a whole.

The most interesting cultural experience I had was the nightlife atmosphere during the weekends. Tourists and citizens were encouraged if not expected to go to parties or dinners with their friends and families.

The biggest challenge of my study abroad experience was the language barrier as I only had a rudimentary understanding of the local language, Cantonese. Although some of the population was able to speak basic English, I had to ask local students who knew English for instructions or directions.

A typical day would consist of eating breakfast from the university's canteen, attending classes in the morning and afternoon, traveling out of the districts to eat lunch and dinner or to sightsee with friends, and finishing homework if assigned.

I took a global environmental science and a human biology course. These courses were similar to introduction science classes although the class sizes ranged from 30-200 students.

The most memorable aspect of my time abroad was when my friends and I traveled to Sai Kung and went cliff-diving at the the Sheung Luk Stream.

Studying abroad helped me make friends from all over the world and exposed me to different cultures and backgrounds from countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, UK, and Canada.

I would recommend sparing a portion of the day to eat or travel someplace with new friends.