Thinking about studying abroad at the University of Hong Kong

[darabo]

Hello, I am a college student in the United States and I was thinking about studying abroad at the University of Hong Kong for two semesters.

Can anyone tell me about their study abroad experiences in Hong Kong (preferably at HKU)?

Is it recommended to learn some Cantonese before traveling to the area?

Any other advice in terms of the city, the customs, and such?

Thanks

[mpallard]

I studied at HKUST for a year. I was a great experience, I wish I could go back.

There was definitely many issues surrounding language when I was there.

I didn't know any cantonese or mandarin when I was there and I got around OK. I did have a few problems when I was off campus and wanted to go to a restaurant because most of the menus were in chinese.

I honestly don't know how much point there is in learning cantonese. It would take at least 6 months of hard core study before you would get anywhere. In theory it would be cool to understand what your class mates were saying but unless you put in a couple years of study that isn't going to happen.

Actually when I was there I didn't really have a lot of local friends. I found that even though a lot of people have decent english I got sick of hanging out with them because I couldn't really joke around and I never found anyone with really similar interests. Looking back on it it would have helped if I knew a bit of their language.

If you're going to learn anything I say mandarin is the way to go. I have since learned mandarin and when I go back to HK now it is really easy to get around. For example, if I need directions or something from the 7-11 I have never met a clerk who couldn't either speak english or mandarin. Also when I was in HK I didn't really like travelling to the mainland as getting around was to hard. It sucks because I could have gone to a lot of cool places.

If you're harcore you might want to think about going over there and studying mandarin for the summer. If you went to Taiwan you would get an introduction to traditional characters.

Also, HKUST had a fastball team that I played on. It was a good way to meet some of my classmates and gave us something to do after we ran out of things to talk about. I know we played HKU so if you're a ball player bring your gear over.

[wai ming]

I studied in HKU as an exchange student for one semester, in the second half of 2007.

It's a great experience, but I think you really need to be clear about what you want to get out of it. There's plenty to see and do in Hong Kong, but if you want to experience the culture, you will really need to make a conscious effort to do so. I have seen so many exchange students in Hong Kong who spend all their time partying with other exchange students - not that there's anything wrong with that - but the result is that they don't really get to know the locals, which I think is a bit of a pity.

I think that if you want to get to know the locals, it is really helpful to learn Cantonese (or at least show them that you are eager to learn Cantonese - many of them will be happy to help you). Many of the students I met were not confident speaking English and had trouble understanding me when I spoke to them in English. Some were more confident communicating in Mandarin, but the majority were still not too comfortable communicating in Mandarin. That said, knowing some Mandarin is better than not knowing any, and can be used as a fallback if you can't speak any Cantonese.

If you can't speak any Cantonese, do try to learn some basic phrases - even if you can't speak it fluently, it is still better than nothing and may be helpful in situations - for example, I did encounter some minibus drivers and taxi drivers who didn't understand English. HKU does offer basic Cantonese and Mandarin courses for exchange students, and there were plenty of language exchange requests posted in the OISE.

Also, I agree with mpallard that joining a sports team/sporting group is a good way to make friends (including with the locals). I started playing hockey with my hall team, and found that a really good way to make friends.

[darabo]

oh wow, so what were your experiences in HKU?

what was an average day like and such?

what was your social life like there?

tell me your experiences there

[wai ming]

Well, first off, it's worth noting that experiencing the culture was my first priority, so I kind of ended up doing the opposite to most exchange students I didn't spend my free time in Lan Kwai Fong partying, and I probably didn't see as much of the sights as most people.

I stayed in R.C. Lee Hall, which is near the medical campus, and which didn't have many exchange students compared to other halls (eg Starr Hall). Living there meant I had to take a bus or taxi to the main campus, and meant that I quickly had to learn basic phrases like "I want to get off here"

At the very beginning of the semester, I attended the hall's Orientation Camp, which is basically like a bootcamp for freshmen and was crazily tiring... but which gave me a group of local friends. This also led to my joining the hockey team, swimming team, badminton team and the current affairs sub-committee

Basically my social life centred on various hall activities, whether it be gatherings with my O-Camp group, attending sport practices and hanging out with my teammates after practice, or just hanging out in the 'pantry' (common room) with my floormates watching tv and chatting. There was always a variety of hall activities on, ranging from meetings of various interest groups (sporting and cultural) to games like 'secret angel.' At certain times of the year, most groups would organise a certain kind of activity eg social outings at Halloween and the Mid-Autumn Festival, and 'Superpass' dinners at the end of the semester.

An average day? Wake up late, grab some 'afternoon tea' at the cafeteria, head off to class (most of my classes were in the evening, as I was taking cross-listed LLB/LLM subjects), have dinner, hang out in the 'pantry' or attend some group meeting/gathering/sports practice and then hang out with group members after (group meetings and gatherings were often late at night and could last until early morning), do a bit of study , sleep late, repeat. Alternatively, wake up early for hockey training and skip class On weekends, attend hockey training or hockey match, do some shopping, and try to catch up on some studying

Anyway, I hope you found that informative, and I definitely recommend going