This week I’m going to focus on campus life a bit. Why? Yup, classes started this week. My biggest challenge is definitely doing well academically in a vacation “culture” that the international students have formed collectively. However, from attending the first day of all my classes, I have a strong feeling (as a business student) that they won’t be nearly as hard as Drexel. That is, coursework is spread into 15 weeks as opposed to 10 weeks of lecture. I’m taking courses in finance, management and philosophy. There is a mix of interactive courses such as entrepreneurship as well as boring lectures (finance). The professors are pretty much the same as Drexel, except they all either have a European or Asian accent; it makes for a nice twist.
In regards to leisurely activities on campus, I’ve been hitting up the gym a lot lately. You’ll find it helpful when you’re gorging on every other item you see at a grocery store, because it all looks so good! For those interested, the gym is pretty average (not bigger than the DAC). There are two rooms with equipment suitable for weight training, cardio and abdominal with a few mats dispersed around for other exercises. There are also two squash courts and ping pong as well as a basketball court. I really like the locker features as you can actually lock it with a key provided for a refundable deposit of a $5HKD coin.
The food here is pretty standard university fare; that means it’s like the Hans except Hong Kong style. If you’ve never had authentic Chinese/Asian food, you’ll probably love it. But as a native eater, I find myself a lot more satisfied getting meals off campus. However, I will say that I got pretty sick from a nice sushi restaurant in Mong Kok. My advice is to not eat too much raw fish/meat if you have a sensitive stomach. All in all, the food here is extremely cheap as I’m sure you’ve heard. Typically platters are $4-5 USD for a whole meal including drinks if you get a big serving. Also, you can find almost any type of cuisine here as Hong Kong is an international city, but probably more authentic in different Asian platters than, say, New York.
A bit of a tangent, but I’ve been to almost every corner of Hong Kong by now. For shopping, I highly recommend Mong Kok, Tsim Cha Tsui East (Harbor City Mall), and Sham Tsui Po (for any kind of electronics or second hand items dirt cheap). The best deals I’ve found as an Asian American is to search American brands that I like (such as A/X for jeans) and buy them in Hong Kong for a much better fit than in America. Actually, the picture you see depicted in this blog is Hong Kong’s version of Time Square. The place is literally called Times Square.
I’m joining the Dragon Boat team at HKUST. For those of you who don’t know, it’s basically rowing on a “dragon” long boat. It’s a high intensity team sport, and I can’t wait to write about my experience with the team in Hong Kong. I previously rowed with UPenn’s team before arriving to Hong Kong. It’s sure to be a lot of fun.
I’m also visiting Shenzhen this weekend, so my next blog will probably focus on that part of Mainland China. Hey, while I’m at it, I’m also planning to go to Macau next weekend! I can’t wait to report back, so stay tuned!

Upon arrival at the airport, one thought kept striking my mind – modern and crowded. The metro at the airport was similar to the air train in New York off LaGuardia Airport to Jamaica Station. Sliding steel doors opened and closed to the actual train upon arrival; I guess that leaves zero chance for anyone to jump over the edge of the tracks. Beware, taxi drivers only speak Cantonese. And they also don’t or pretend to not have change for large bills. So, word of advice, if you’re bill is $301.91, don’t give the taxi driver $400 and expect any change back.
The campus itself is actually only one large building and the living areas (halls). Except, combine that with being on a mountain by the sea, and you’ll find yourself taking 4 lifts (elevators) up and down 30 something floors and a 10 minute walk to get to the center of campus. It’s really like Hogwarts I’ll tell yah. Hong Kong is the most vertical city I’ve ever seen. On campus, there is a grocery store, about 3 dining areas, university bar, gym, etc. It’s all pretty compact in the main building. I opened an integrated bank account on campus (there are about 3 banks a convenient 10 minutes from the halls), and I highly recommend it as I can basically withdraw from 90% of ATMs that I see, regardless if the bank is different from mine, for no service charge!
My exchange buddy took me on a trip to Hang Hau, a shopping district and MTR (subway) station. Its shopping centre is basically five malls combined in one. I was able to find almost anything in there. We also went to eat at a local restaurant. This restaurant was a little different than the usual US restaurant. It was well known for its customers to enjoy a beer with the famous local fare. That is, if you don’t mind the dripping water from the ceiling and questionably cleaned dishware. The food, regardless, was amazing, and I’d recommend you try the sweet and sour pork with peppers; no, it’s not your American sweet and sour pork. It’s actually an authentic Chinese dish. The two differences I noticed here. One, waiters/waitresses don’t expect a tip. Two, most restaurants in Hong Kong will not supply you with napkins or paper towels. So, lesson of the day, bring some hand sanitizer.
I also hopped on a cultural tour hosted by my school the next day. I’ll skim over the details as I know previous blogs about HK covered this tour a thousand times over. However, I definitely enjoyed walking through the markets of Tai Po, an ex-fisherman town, and got to haggle for a pair of desperately needed flip flops; I knocked ‘em down five bucks for a purchase price of about $2USD. It’s pretty useful to know Cantonese. But even if you don’t, just try this foolproof method. Name your price (that’s not too ridiculous) very slowly and loudly in English. They’ll shake their heads and say the tag price. Then, turn 180 degrees really fast and beginning walking away in a slightly slower than normal pace. They’ll start shouting and calling after you with your price, and all you have to do is turn around and smile. Word of caution, and this might be common sense, but you can’t haggle at large established malls (only market stalls and shady stores).
The last thing I want to write about was definitely one of the most amazing places I have ever been. And, to be frank, I don’t even like shopping all that much. But when my roommate’s exchange buddy took us to a mall in Mong Kok, I was simply blown away. The picture I posted is from this mall. It’s twelve large stories in total and has what is the largest escalator I have ever taken to the top. Picture Mount Everest, because I was getting a lot of vertigo. The picture of the bull actually represents Taurus. On each of the 12 floors, there is a zodiac (western) character statue with the daily horoscopes and details on the zodiac character. We dined with some excellent sushi at Sushi Monster on the twelfth floor, and that was an end to a wonderful week. Until next time!

I figured I’d start with a brief summary of the wind up to this new journey. I’m interested to see how my experiences will change from what I’m writing right now to three months from now; and, I’m kind of jealous that you can read it all in one sitting. In any case, my greatest advice for the “pre-trip” might be a little counter-intuitive. Regardless, if you find yourself in the last few weeks before your departure to Hong Kong, I would advise that you not think about Hong Kong. Rather, it’s a great excuse to appreciate the friends and bonds that you’ve already made at Drexel and end your term with a bang. Well, that’s certainly what I did although I can’t get into the juicy details. The first picture shows one of my last goodbyes with the best friends that I will miss dearly.
But, let’s see. What other advice can I give? Well, here’s a good one. Bring something fun/productive to do on your plane ride! A 16-17 hour flight is no joke, and I can only watch so many movies before my brain melts. I’ve managed to kill six hours so just…ten more to go! Also, pack light and make sure to check on the baggage fees with your airline. You never know when you might get hit with an exorbitant baggage fee just for having one extra bag to the one free one you get (case and point right here). Hong Kong is an international city, and it should have almost anything you can expect to get in New York or London; I’ll confirm this when I land. Oh, and if you’re flying through Canada, the US dollar is not doing so well. I digress. I hope this gives you a sneak peek at what to expect in preparation. The next time I write, it’ll be about Hong Kong itself. Cheers.