5 lessons (volume 3)
1. I used to judge international students for segregating themselves into nationality groups rather than integrate with everyone else, which I now recognise as totally unfair. On first arrival in Hong Kong, I shared a taxi to CUHK with two...
Shenzhen shenanigans
At first thought, CUHK’s remote location in the New Territories is a huge disadvantage. But I’ve come to like it, far more than I thought I would. The pace is slower, the air is cleaner and Sha Tin, just two...
Hong Kong (volume 4)
My exams are over! But I’m still recovering from a cold, so 😷😩. My roommate has gone home, so I have the room to myself. It feels too quiet at times. The weather has cooled down a lot in December....
5 lessons (volume 2)
1. I don’t think AAing (splitting the bill) is appropriate on little things (< $10 AUD for jobless me). This is definitely influenced by my exposure to Chinese culture whilst on exchange. Firstly, it’s inconvenient to deal with small...
The piano room
There’s a tiny room tucked away in the corner on Lee Woo Sing’s ground floor, not much further past the aroma of waffles from Café Tolo. Like many rooms in my hostel, it has a view of Tolo Harbour. It’s...
Lijiang
Lijiang is a beautiful city in Yunnan, China. Three weeks ago, I took my first overnight sleeper train from Kunming to get there. I think if I wasn’t sharing my compartment with friends, I would be so anxious about theft...
University Health Service
I opted not to purchase medical insurance whilst in Hong Kong for three reasons. As a UNSW student, I get travel insurance covering serious incidents (albeit with a $50 AUD excess). As a Hong Kong student, hospitalisation in public hospitals...
Course evaluations
So what is class like at CUHK? I think around 80% of exchange students took 4 courses (12 units), with the rest taking 5 courses (15 units). The impression I got was that local students took around 16-18 units. Most...
Hong Kong (volume 3)
Things are getting really busy with just one week of class left. I have so many assignments due, group presentations to prepare for and two final exams which are run outside of the exam period during the final week’s class...
The application timeline
Hope this helps anyone anxious about the application process. UNSW Late October, 2014: UNSW exchange application due Submit it early, because the Endeavour system goes down due to high demand when the deadline looms You can’t take mandatory...