Shailee | India | Shaw | Biology
Hong Kong people are relatively more conscious of self-protection and other preventive measures. The pandemic did cause a bit of a problem to my studies. My major is biology and thanks to COVID, all my lab courses and practicals were cancelled. There were a lot of new terms coming up in the online class but since I really couldn’t see the faces of the professors, it gradually got a bit tough for me to understand the concepts. Nonetheless, almost all professors uploaded the videos of the lectures for me to watch online and it was very helpful. Some international students opted for suspension of
Matthew | Belgium | CW Chu | Chinese Studies
I think Hong Kong people have a very good grasp on how to respond to the outbreak because of their experience in handling SARS. Back in Belgium, temperature checks are not very common and the situation was slightly worrying. I have self-isolated for 2 weeks after returning home but lockdown has started in Belgium. I managed to use the online teaching system in Belgium and lessons are mostly held in the afternoon in Hong Kong, which is early in the morning in Belgium.
a semester but I thought I would have nothing to do at home during lockdown anyways. Fortunately, things turned out fine with the help of my schoolmates and the professors.
Amira | Tunisia | Morningside | Computer Science Whenever I introduce my home country to local students, they always respond with “Indonesia??” with a hint of disbelief on their faces. Originating from a rather distant culture, it was difficult for me to adjust to life in Hong Kong – everyone is in a rush. I personally find it very hard to understand Hong Kong people only based on their Cantonese… it is very hard to know whether someone is speaking normally or shouting. Fortunately, people are willing to offer me help on my journey to adapt to the CUHK community. Most people think that language barriers only exist between local and international students. In fact, for most international students, English is not our first language and most students I met aren’t 100% confident in speaking English. My advice on getting to know people in CUHK is to join as many activities as you can, both those of international students
Hong VS My Co
and local students. Shailee | India | Shaw | Biology
Local students usually are very friendly towards international students despite having their own social circles. However, international students may find it hard to understand their inside jokes and local slang. Sometimes I feel that most local students are always busy at school, so busy that they don’t have much incentive to socialize with us foreigners. Some tips for international students to integrate into locals' social circles are to talk more, to ask more questions and to make conversations with local students interesting. Don’t think that you have to stick with the international bunch – the local students are also very warm and welcoming.
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CULTURAL DIFFERE
