Hello, it is me Olivia again! I finished studying abroad in Hong Kong and am starting my Spring semester at Texas A&M. I hope everyone has had a good first week!
In this past semester, I have had a lot of fun exploring Hong Kong, and learning more about the culture and history. In my Exploration to Chinese Calligraphy course, the professor took my class to the Hong Kong Museum of Art in November. We were taken on a guided tour, and learned about the evolution of calligraphy styles throughout the past years. For example, we saw pieces of the original standard scripts 楷書 (pinyin: kai shu) from Tang Dynasty, and learned that many styles later on were stemmed from this script. It was also widely used for civil and public service announcements, so having good calligraphy skills was necessary for a successful career. Calligraphy is still practiced and used today in Hong Kong as well. In the 1900s, there were different local street calligraphers like Lee Han who created a style that was bold and easy to read, which was used in menus and the neon signs of Hong Kong Style Cafes. It is interesting to see this part of history being preserved when I have tea time at a local cafe.
It was a little overwhelming at first dealing with currency rates when buying my meals and navigating the public transportation in Hong Kong. It could take over an hour to get to places during rush hour which is around 4-6 pm. I realized time management was even more important here, and would always make sure to plan my schedules in advance. Classes were also challenging, because the grading system was based on a curve. The students here are studious, many staying at the Learning Common Room the whole day. However they are always willing to lend a helping hand, and everyone has fun learning together. Hong Kong is also a diverse city, and there were chances where you would speak in different languages. In my group project in my Organizational Behavior course, we were speaking in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin during our meetings.
I think I grew a lot academically and personally overall from this study abroad experience. I also made many new friends and learned about so many different cultures. I really hope other Aggies can also come experience Hong Kong, as it is not only a great introduction to the business world in Asia, but an interesting place to explore in general. There is always something new to learn or a new place to explore!
