Josephine KWOK

Student of The University of Western Australia, Australia
Exchange to The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

In 2013, during the second year of my undergraduate degree, I participated in the student exchange programme offered by The University of Western Australia. I completed six months of study at The University of Hong Kong ("HKU") in which I undertook a broad range of units such as Hong Kong and the World, Liberalism, Criminal Justice, Business Law as well as Chinese as a foreign language.

I chose to study at HKU for a number of reasons. Besides the university's strong reputation both domestically and on an international scale, Hong Kong itself is a place held close to my heart. My parents were born and raised in Hong Kong but moved to Australia almost 30 years ago. Having born and lived in Perth my whole life, my knowledge of, and experiences with Hong Kong, were only from our short holidays to the city. I had never truly experienced Hong Kong as a 'local', despite my cultural heritage.

Student life in Hong Kong was truly unique. I was lucky enough to meet and become close friends with both local students and fellow exchange students from countries such as USA, China, Singapore, and Korea. I still remain in close contact with some of them even to this day! I lived in an apartment which is within 10-minute walking distance from the university with two other roommates. The location and surrounding area were very safe and extremely convenient. There were countless restaurants, public transport, recreational centres and local markets all within minutes away.

People often say that some experiences can never truly be put into words. My exchange experience would be a perfect example. Although in summary, there are three important lessons I learnt along the way, which I would like to share:

1. Take initiative and truly immerse yourself into the culture

   The six months I spent in Hong Kong I signed myself up for a wide range of activities and opportunities offered both at the university and beyond. For example, I worked as a volunteer for an 'Ocean Day Out' where we took primary school students on an excursion to the beach, let them learn about the importance of protecting marine life. I also worked as an English tutor for primary and secondary school students at weekends, sharing my English knowledge whilst also using the opportunity to improve on my Mandarin and Cantonese. As someone who enjoys sport, I joined the university's netball team where we trained twice a week and competed against other social netball clubs. Being a part of the netball team was where I was truly able to meet likeminded people who shared common interests, and it was a great way to take my mind off any stress or pressures from studying. I also found it really important to make friends with local students as well as other exchange students, as my local friends were able to show me parts of Hong Kong that I never would have discovered myself.

2. Learn to embrace independence

   Having always lived with my parents prior to going on exchange, I never really had the opportunity to live independently. Being on exchange gave me the chance to learn how to take care of myself, how to budget my spending money, how to cook nutritious meals for myself, and so many other responsibilities! It also taught me how to live with other people who may have very different living habits and personalities. It meant that I had to learn how to be open to different changes, be considerate and respectful of others' living arrangements and to compromise on certain matters.

   As Hong Kong was conveniently located near many different Asian countries, I was able to travel to places such as Taiwan and Macau for short holidays. These travelling experiences were also valuable in helping me improve independence and organisation skill.

3. Don't expect to love every minute of your exchange

   Six months may not necessarily be a long time to spend abroad, but it is definitely not a short period of time. Given the new experiences you will be gaining every day, there are bound to be some that are challenging. But it is in these occasions where you should learn to welcome these challenges, and shift your mindset to recognise how you can turn these challenges and negative experiences into a positive learning opportunity. When I first arrived in Hong Kong I was extremely homesick for two weeks. Before the semester started I knew no one, and had to navigate around the city or spend some nights alone.

   But looking back now, those days were also the days where I learnt something new about myself and about my resilience. I realised that to have a truly holistic and well-rounded exchange experience I would need to encounter the good times and the bad. All these experiences were integral to make my exchange study an unforgettable and life-changing experience!

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