Cheng Ka Yee
Year 3 student
BA (Hons) in Bilingual Interdisciplinary Chinese Studies

Joining an exchange programme has always been one of my biggest targets to achieve in university. As a student enrolled during a pandemic, the Covid-19 had me thinking I could never make this dream come true, and indeed, the exchange experience was filled with quite a few twists and turns. After a year of restlessness, disappointment, and struggle, I was very fortunate to finally be able to embark on this journey of a lifetime in Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Canada. It is all thanks to the great and generous support from the Sin Wai Kin Chinese Humanities Exchange Scholarship that enhanced my experience. I would like to share my journey in terms of academic, culture and personal growth.

Before I went to Canada, I thought the academic style of universities in these two places would be quite similar. However, the learning model in Canada and the learning attitude of Canadian students are surprisingly quite different from Hong Kong. Unlike most of the courses I took in PolyU, the grades mostly depend on a single final assignment, while all subjects I took in SFU contain multiple continued tasks. I got assignments every week starting from week one. It was strenuous and stressful at first, but at the end of the semester, I found that the previous hard work made things easier later. Also, this learning style has further trained me in time management and multitasking in a very short period of time. Furthermore, there was usually a sharing session every week. Surprisingly, the students there were super active in class, everyone was willing to talk and to share their own thoughts and this is the picture I can barely see in Hong Kong. As we all know, Hong Kong students are relatively shy and tend to keep their opinions in their own mind. The learning environment in Canada was earnest but also fun. In those discussions I had with students and lecturers in SFU, I can always see their passion in their profession. They are not afraid of making mistakes and also respect other people's opinions. There is often thought-provoking content in the discussion, and we inspire each other, which makes my learning better. Also, they inspire me to rethink the reason why are we learning and how a good learning attitude can bring about positive academic results.

To experience a totally different culture was the part that I was most looking forward to during the exchange. I have been living in Vancouver for four months, it can be said that I have a certain understanding of the lifestyle and values of Vancouver people. My favorite Vancouver culture is that the pace of life there is much slower than in Hong Kong as they pay more attention to physical and mental health than work and school. Therefore, their entertainment is also healthier than that of many Hong Kong people, mostly related to sports and nature such as hiking and fishing. I have also developed many healthy habits and interests in this environment. The most precious thing about Vancouver is that there are many cultures from all over the world. For example, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Vietnamese, and they all have their own community in Vancouver. These foreign communities and the Vancouver culture coexist beautifully, and everyone respects each other. I also met some classmates who are Canadian but from all over the world. When I lived there, in addition to the western culture in Canada, I also had a deeper understanding of many other Asian cultures.

Living alone in an unfamiliar city was definitely a big challenge. My first month in Vancouver was really difficult. Even though I had been living in a student dorm in Hong Kong for a while, it was still hard to be completely independent without any help from my family. I had to take care of myself from stocking up on all essential household items to cooking and doing laundry for. There was no such thing like I could go home anytime to my parents for what I need and what I don’t know or don’t want to do. Independence does not just mean leaving home or living alone, but also knowing how to solve problems by yourself and make appropriate arrangements. Going on an exchange has definitely provided me with such training. Moreover, during the pandemic, there are often unfamiliar and unexpected problems that no one has relevant experience to help. Therefore, I have gradually learned to respond to emergencies and to be adequately prepared in case of any change of plan. For example, the policy on entry to Canada and Hong Kong has changed from time to time and every time I had to make changes to my itinerary immediately in accordance with the latest policy.

I delayed my college study for this exchange programme, it was a very difficult decision to make and it might also be the biggest reason why other students who are in the two-year programme are reluctant to participate in exchanges. As the one who delayed graduation for the exchange programme, I doubted my decision many times before I left. However, I got a lot more from this journey than I ever imagined. Besides giving me countless training and growth that made me a better person today, I started to live my life with a completely different attitude and values. Going on an exchange to Canada is the core memory and one of the most important parts of my life. I would like to recommend all my classmates to give themselves this life-changing experience. Also, I would like to once again thank the Sin Wai Kin Chinese Humanities Exchange Scholarship donor for the big support.