Chelsea's Exchange to City University | Hong Kong
My name is Chelsea and I studied abroad at the City University of Hong Kong in Semeter 1, 2018. At Murdoch University I can currently completing a degree in Security, Terrorism and Counter-terrorism Studies.
My interest in the Indo-pacific region both inspired through my Security and Counter-terrorism course and personal travel across Southeast Asia was enhanced through receiving the NCP grant. It seemed like the right decision to choose somewhere in Asia because I love learning about all kinds of cultures that are so different to my own. Hong Kong is also such a diverse and interesting place, a perfect mixture of modern global world, and traditional historic value.
I took all politics courses since that is
my area of interest I took the following classes;
- Ethics and Public Policy
- Politics and media
- Issues in Contemporary World Politics
- Social Policy and Society
- Seminars on Hong Kong Government and Politics
The classes were really interesting because
the political ‘tensions’ between Hong Kong and Mainland China were issues I was
not fully aware of until I started taking my classes at City U. The classes I
enjoyed the most were the Ethics and Public Policy and Politics and media
classes. For 3 of our politics and media classes we went on excursions, which
was strange to me since I had never done that at Murdoch, but I really engaged
with it and enjoyed it. The teaching system was not that different, perhaps
slightly less personal that the tutorials I have experienced at Murdoch.
My contact hours were around 12 hours a
week, more than what I was used to but all my classes started at 3:00pm or
later and finished around 6:00pm, one of them finished at 7:00pm and I know a
few of my friends had 10:00pm classes which was bizarre to me at first, until I
adjusted and then started to find morning classes strange!
Hong Kong has one of THE best train services ever. The MTR was honestly one of my favorite aspects, it took you everywhere and anywhere, I think the longest I ever waited for a train was 2 minutes, very different to Perth! I miss that train.
Hong Kong is also paradise when it comes to good food, you can go fully traditional or enjoy your favorite western style foods. I ate my body weight in Dim Sum and I have never found anywhere as good back home, it was so cheap to eat out in Hong Kong that I think I only ever cooked in the dorms once during my entire time there. Mr wongs in Mong Kok and famous Dim sum in Prince Edward were my favorite food places, both places are a uni student must.
The locals were great, I found a lot of cool hiking trails and food places from speaking with locals during our exploring.
My favorite part has to be the cheesiest part of exchange, the friends you make. I became so close with a group of girls from Finland that when it came time to leave exchange I felt like I was going through a rough break up (reverse culture shock is truly a thing btw). I will treasure the memories we made together for the rest of my life. We still talk in the same group chat every day, and I am hoping to travel to Finland to see them again in 2019, I miss them all the time.
The travel is also one of the best parts. From Hong Kong it was super easy (and cheap!) to travel to other parts of Asia, such as Macau, Taiwan, Mainland China, South Korea and Indonesia. The memories I made travelling to these places with my exchange friends are unforgettable.
Independence was also an enjoyable factor for me on exchange, it was my first time living out of home and it taught me a lot of things and made me really appreciate the life I have back in Perth, and also the opportunities I have been afforded in life, such as being able to even go on exchange to another country!
I struggled to learn Cantonese because I found it really hard and I didn’t pick up phrases as easy as I did in other places I traveled to such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia, but it wasn’t a major struggled I just wished I was better at it! I didn’t really experience any culture shock, perhaps the only thing which was funny anyway was the number of photos people took of us on our travels to Mainland China. I didn’t get really homesick that often because we were so busy exploring every day, but I did miss my dog a lot! The best way to deal with challenges like homesickness was to talk about it with other exchange students, everyone normally feels the same way and you can laugh about it together and it makes you feel a lot better.
The accommodation seemed shockingly small to me when I first arrived, but like anything in life you adapt and get used to it, and by the end I was so fond of my little dorm room that I couldn’t have pictured it any other way! I shared a room with another girl and the bathroom with 2 other girls, so 1 bathroom between 4, that was sometimes hard when everyone wanted to shower at the same time or use the toilet, but eventually unspoken schedules seem to form themselves anyway and it was fine. I would say that you should try your best to get a room on campus because it is a lot easier to make friends and become social because in the halls they were always organizing activities that you probably would not have known about if you lived off campus.
I took out an OS Help Loan and was also granted the New Colombo Mobility Grant which was about $7000 In total, as well as personal savings from casual work back in Perth. It made exchange so much easier its worth applying for both because without them I don’t think I would have been able to experience as much.
I traveled to South Korea, Indonesia, Macau and Mainland China. South Korea was really fun, we met Katy Perry while we were there so that was a major highlight for us! We also climbed the Great wall of China when we went to Beijing, and went to the forbidden City and Winter Palace, all of which were items on my bucket list so that was a huge thing for me. Macau was interesting; however, most people go to see the Casino’s but I was the only friend who was not 21 so I didn’t think that one through very well, but I did see the Ruins of St Paul’s cathedral which was beautiful! Indonesia was also fun, My Finnish friends couldn’t believe how close Bali was to Perth which made me really grateful for where I live since they always wanted to go places that were tropical! We did surf lessons and so many other fun activities that I can’t list them all, overall the travel we did was amazing and ill treasure the memories from it always!
Some advice I can give you about studying abroad is-
- Pack a photo of your family and pets, it makes your dorm feel a lot less lonely
- Print out extra copies of all your important information so that you don’t lose one and then get into trouble if you need it later
- Reevaluate your budget every couple of weeks, it’s easy to lose track of what you are spending when you are having so much fun!
- Check all your visa requirements in ADVANCE if you plan to travel (throwback to spending 10 hours in a line at the Chinese visa tower the day before we were flying out)
- Pack as lightly as you can, I had to leave some things behind because I bought a lot.
- Explore on your own as well, soak things up and contemplate them without distractions
- Try take up as many opportunities and offers as you can, the time goes by way to quickly to not be doing anything!
The first few weeks can be nerve-racking and a bit confusing, but everything always turns out fine, and before you know it you are living your best life! Really appreciate it while its happening because before you know it you will be home again and missing lots of things about your exchange life!
- Chelsea studied abroad at the City University of Hong Kong
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Murdoch University Study Abroad & Exchange - Outbound
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTACT US!
EMAIL: studyabroad@murdoch.edu.au
PHONE: +61 8 93607836
VISIT: Murdoch University, Student Centre, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA, 6150
FIND US!
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/murdochoutbound
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/murdochoutbound
