Zoe Shum
Year 4 student
BA(Hons) in Chinese and Bilingual Studies

My dream of going on an exchange has finally come true with the kindness of Sin Wai Kin Chinese Humanities Exchange Scholarship’s donor. I am grateful that my exchange life was enriched and fruitful the whole time.

This was my first time living somewhere outside Hong Kong for a long time. I had to manage all the things by myself for the first time. Without the advice and support from my parents, everything seemed to be difficult and impossible in the beginning. I often feel like going on an exchange is a big moment in life and therefore put pressure on myself to plan everything ahead. Nevertheless, plans always fall behind changes such as changes in the quarantine policy and entry requirements. The plan changes drove me crazy at that time. Fortunately, the local students and staff at Yonsei University were willing to help me. Their passion and selflessness put me at ease and let me know that I am not alone. I am so grateful that I could meet these little angels in my life.

The five modules I have taken for my exchange were “Advanced Chinese Conversation”, “Introduction to British Culture”, “Modern Korean History”, “Media Communication in Korea” and “Practical Chinese Pedagogic Grammar (1)”. All the courses are so interesting, especially the media course since it covers a wide range of topics such as net neutrality, social capital and news portal. The lecturers encourage us to explore popular culture by analyzing the Korean mass media and journalism. I enjoyed all the lectures and found that the world is bigger than I thought. One should not limit themselves and go as far as the media does.

The exchange experience not only provided hard knowledge but also soft skills like cultural intelligence. Through interacting with students from around the globe, I realized that every culture has its values and beliefs; therefore, it is important to relate to and embrace different cultures. For instance, Korean expect customers to greet the shopkeepers and the French prefer not to share food during a meal. Living in Hong Kong for my whole life, I had never realized that not everyone acts like the people from my culture. Thus, making new friends from around the world has made me see the bigger picture of the world. The exchange programme has changed my usual way of thinking and motivated me to think outside the box.

In conclusion, I am grateful for the exchange opportunity, and for everything that happened in the past few months. My exchange at Yonsei University has shaped me into a more open-minded person with a wider vision. Thank you once again for the Sin Wai Kin Chinese Humanities Exchange Scholarship donor. Through the donation, I have been able to enjoy my studies in a foreign country for the first time.