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Elena ARIFIN
Student of Macquarie University, Australia
Exchange to The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
An enthralling mix of East and West that pulsates with life; a city that seeps under your skin and into your blood. It is unforgettable – it is Hong Kong.
I spent one semester studying at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and experienced a thoroughly special time that I will remember forever. I became fast friends with students from Hong Kong, China, Europe, the United States, New Zealand and even Australia!
I embraced many amazing opportunities that Hong Kong has to offer, such as being a tourist and enjoying sightseeing, weekend trips to Mainland China, sipping cocktails at the tallest bar in the world, going to traditional fishing villages that are built over the water, visiting Disneyland, and travelling around Asia. I was also able to continue my study of Mandarin and practice using it, teach English to Chinese high-school students in the south of China, hike in Hong Kong’s beautiful mountains, and see pink dolphins jumping through the ocean. I celebrated Chinese New Year with the locals, bargained with the best at the many markets around Hong Kong and China, travelled on the extremely efficient metro system, lived in a flat with local and international students, ate the world’s best yum cha and experienced the beauty of the light show every night in Hong Kong’s stunning harbour.
I learnt many important lessons about others, but I also learnt more about myself. Being able to live in another country for six months and experience a different culture is eye opening, and my world seems so much larger now.
Perhaps surprisingly for a typical student on exchange, I loved my academic studies at university and the way that my subjects were taught there. I was even lucky enough to have a paper I wrote for one of my law subjects there published by an international online journal.
Although there were students from all different nations and cultures around the world, our differences were intriguing and our similarities refreshing. The adventures we shared together brought us close and enabled me to learn not just about Hong Kong’s culture, but also the cultures of my friends from all around the world. Exchange was one of the best experiences of my life and I will forever treasure the time I spent in Hong Kong.
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