Camille Eva White

University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
Exchange to City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

All throughout my degree I looked forward to going on exchange. I have always wanted to study law in Asia, and in the end, Hong Kong was the best option.

I arrived in Hong Kong as the only student from my university on exchange in Hong Kong, and as it turned out, only one of three students from New South Wales, and one of eight from Australia. My “buddy” from the City University of Hong Kong (CityU), Holly, stayed overnight at the airport to pick me up at the very un-Hong Kong hour of 5am. She almost single-handedly dealt with the university administration and made my university experience much easier.

I lived on student campus, sharing a small room with a local student. Most of the exchange students lived on campus and it was a great place to meet and socialise, even though Kowloon Tong (the area we were living in) felt a bit claustrophobic during exam or assessment time.

Overall, my exchange experience was one of the most challenging, rewarding, and educational experiences of my five years of university education. Hong Kong is an amazing and truly international city. Although the pollution throughout all of Southern China is something that requires some getting use to, the amazing and unexpected beauty of Hong Kong’s beaches, small islands, and city is something I will never forget. All of the exchange students felt that they had seen a side of Hong Kong most non-Hong Konger’s never see. Even the expatriates who have lived in Hong Kong for a decade or more had not seen as much as we had in only a few months. The enthusiasm, curiosity, and warmth of all of the exchange students made the challenges of Hong Kong easier to face, and as a consequence, we will all have lasting friendships all over the world.

Although everything that can be said about an exchange experience easily fits into a simple stereotype or cliche, each element of that same stereotype was true to varying degrees for every one of us who went.

One of the best things about studying in Hong Kong, and although I was disappointed about not making more local friends, was meeting so many like-minded people from all over Europe, Canada, the US, and other parts of Asia. It was a perfect central spot from which to explore other parts of Asia. To be immersed in another language and culture was stimulative and thought-provoking. Experiencing it with new friends from a range of backgrounds was even more exciting.

The challenge of being away from everyone I knew well was more difficult than I had imagined. But it was these challenges that ultimately made my experience more rewarding. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to study abroad, and I will encourage others to step out of their comfort zone and do the same.

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