Lim Jewel Xin Wei
BEng (Hons) in Civil Engineering, Year 2
As Malaysian Chinese, I would say that it is easier for us to adapt to the life in Hong Kong compared to other international students as we understand English, Mandarin and Cantonese. In my opinion, apart from attending physical lessons and extra-curricular activities on campus, staying in halls of residence is the easiest way to make new friends. One of my favorite hall events was the Lantern Festival Event in the Hung Hom Halls. That was my first Lantern Festival away from hometown, and was therefore not least meaningful. The organizers prepared various games related to the festival such as lantern-making and paper cutting. Besides the large variety of hall events throughout the semester, I also went café hopping and groceries shopping with my hall mates.
The International Students’ Community here is particularly warm and welcoming. As an introvert, I was once worried about not being able to make friends in this University. However, the international students, particularly those staying in halls, were really friendly. We would often share our cutlery and meals. In my second year of studies, I took the initiative to be one of the executive committees of the International Student Association (ISA), hoping to serve the International Students’ Community and to make more friends. We organized a few events such as the Virtual Sign Language Workshop, Global New Year Gala 2021, Career Development Workshop and the ISA Online Orientation Event, which were all well-received.
Regarding my studies at PolyU, Industrial Centre (IC) training was one of my favorite subjects. This is because we are given the opportunities of practical trainings. For example, I have learned to mix mortars, align bricks and saw tiles through the bricklaying and formwork modules. I was also able to put theoretical knowledge into practical engineering problems. In addition, as the tasks in IC training usually required us to work in groups, we also learned the importance of teamwork and effective communication.
Due to the pandemic, we basically had classes online most of the time. After three semesters of virtual learning, I really look forward to meeting my course mates and attending lectures in lecture halls. I believe that my university life would be more fun and interesting upon the resumption of face-to-face lessons!
