Hung Man Ki
Year 3 student
BA(Hons) in Bilingual Interdisciplinary Chinese Studies

I am honored to participate in the UK exchange program, and I sincerely thank my school and department for their support.

During the exchange period, I studied for five months at the University of Liverpool in the UK. I chose the University of Liverpool because it is an old and prestigious "red brick" university in the UK with excellent academic reputation and teaching quality. The University of Liverpool offers a wide range of courses and disciplines for students to choose from, allowing me to integrate my personal academic interests and career development prospects to choose my subject of study, and develop a diverse range of skills. As one of the most renowned universities in the UK, my learning experience at the University of Liverpool has been invaluable. Compared to Asian education, western education emphasises exploration and interactive teaching. During my exchange in the UK, I was encouraged to unleash my potential and breaking away from traditional learning methods through different teaching approaches, which has had an indelible impact on my future learning.

Going on an exchange in the UK was a completely new experience and challenge for me. The teaching style in the UK is divided into lectures and seminars, both of which encourage students to actively participate in classroom discussions. Local students are curious and eager to learn. In class, local students are very enthusiastic about raising their hands to ask questions and respond to issues, and they express their own opinions on various phenomena. This is different from traditional Asian education, where the teacher gives lectures, and the students listen and take notes. If Asian education is inclined towards indoctrination, then western education is interactive and experimental.

This difference in learning environment changed my attitude towards learning. In class, I discussed topics with my classmates more actively than before, and actively participated in classroom discussions and expressed my opinions, which increased my exploration and pursuit of the truth. It also made me realize that exploring in academics allows for mistakes, which increased my confidence and made me more willing to ask questions and seek knowledge. For example, I took a course on "Global Nuclear Culture and Heritage" at the University of Liverpool. In the first seminar, the professor asked us to work in pairs, read various class materials, and discuss "why the government promotes civil defense in the nuclear age." The British girl in my group quickly expressed her views and then asked me for my opinion. To be honest, I was embarrassed because I couldn't fully understand what she was saying due to her rapid speed and some nuclear warfare jargons. At that moment, I could only apologise to her and express my language difficulties, and then answer with my own shallow understanding of the topic. I am grateful that the classmate, after hearing about my difficulties, kindly suggested that she could speak more slowly and use simpler vocabulary to express her ideas, helping me to better understand. This kindness made me deeply appreciate the warm culture of the west, and made me more willing to express my opinions in imperfect English, not afraid of being ridiculed or looked down upon. I decided to communicate more fluently with local classmates using English.

In addition to classes and learning, the University of Liverpool arranged a local student guide for me when I arrived in the UK to help me adapt to British culture and integrate better into the university community. The guide took me and other exchange students around the entire campus and city center of Liverpool, including museums and churches, and introduced us to local traditional culture from different perspectives. This allowed me to understand Liverpool and British culture from different angles and provided me with the opportunity to meet and socialize with local students and others from different places, enhancing my social skills. I also participated in all the social events organized by the university, such as formal dinners, welcome parties for international students, and graduation ceremonies, some of which were held on campus and some in bars outside of the university. The university would rent out the venue, so the entire place was full of University of Liverpool students, and free food and drinks were provided. I had never participated in similar activities organised by my school in Hong Kong, so when I first experienced this unique social atmosphere at a British university, I was deeply impressed by British university culture and the relaxed nature of British life. Students of different races and accents dressed up and walked around, meeting students from all over the world, exchanging different cultures and customs, and building international friendships. I also made friends with people from Portugal and Malaysia in this diverse and inclusive environment, broadening my horizons. Therefore, being able to participate in these activities was a great experience, allowing me to gain a deeper understanding of British people's way of life and culture, and allowing me to communicate with students from all over the world and learn from them.

Through this exchange opportunity, I was exposed for the first time to teaching methods and cultural history that are completely different from Asia. In fact, this exchange programme to the UK was my first time stepping out of Hong Kong and Asia, so everything I encountered along the way was fascinating to me, including the ethnic diversity in the UK and the gentle demeanor of the British people. On the streets of Liverpool, I always saw people of different nationalities bustling about, such as Indians, Africans, Europeans, and Asians, sometimes even speaking fluent Liverpool accents. Pedestrians walking on the road always receive courtesy from vehicles. And I especially liked the western culture of being courteous and friendly to strangers, like hearing "thank you" and "sorry" everywhere and encountering helpful faces when I looked lost. Even on public transportation or in shops, they would always chat with you and exchange histories and cultures between the two places. Of course, to experience the pleasant atmosphere of the UK's "slower pace of life", one must also endure some inconvenience: the work pace in the UK is usually slower. Although the locals have no complaints about this, for those of us who are used to the fast pace of life in Hong Kong, we may feel uncomfortable. This also made me reflect on how the UK's low efficiency allows locals to enjoy life better, while in Hong Kong, high efficiency has not led to a higher level of happiness. Both have their pros and cons. Through the embodiment of multiculturalism and these cross-border warmth, it seems to enable me to see the world with a broader perspective, to explore different people's thoughts, to treat people from different backgrounds equally, and ultimately to establish more meaningful connections between people, and experience another aspect of the world. In addition, this exchange experience has provided me with many valuable experiences and soft skills. For example, during the exchange, I studied a course called "Understanding Modern Europe", which improved my understanding of important events, trends, and ideas in modern European history, helping me to further understand world history, learn the practical significance of world history, and better understand the current world and its problems. It can be said that this exchange experience has expanded my horizons and background knowledge, and cultivated my cultural awareness. I also believe that it will further benefit me in my future career, guiding me in planning my career and life direction, and allowing me to have a broader perspective to increase my competitiveness in the fiercely competitive workplace. Overall, this exchange experience has enhanced my international competence.

I am very grateful for the donation of the Sin Wai Kin Chinese Humanities Exchange Scholarship, which has solved the financial problems that troubled me during this exchange. My family is not wealthy, my parents work hard, and the money they earn is just enough to pay for me and my two sisters' education. It is a challenge to provide me with additional financial assistance to participate in the exchange, especially in the UK, which is known for its high cost of living. Fortunately, with the help of the Sin Wai Kin Chinese Humanities Exchange Scholarship, my parents' burden has been reduced, and they were able to support me in participating in this exchange. The expenses incurred during the exchange in the UK were not small, from purchasing round-trip air tickets before departure, to buying clothing to cope with the cold weather in the UK, and purchasing daily necessities after arriving in the UK. All of these brought financial pressure. Therefore, as a person alone in the UK, I had to learn to budget carefully, save money, and make good use of my savings and the university's scholarship to get through this exchange. Perhaps because I had saved money well before the exchange, and the university's scholarship could pay for part of the exchange expenses, in the latter part of the exchange, I even had extra money to explore other cities in the UK, learn about the culture of different regions of the UK, and not worry about financial problems. For example, I went to London, the capital of the UK, to see the prosperity and tension that was different from Liverpool and experienced the British culture. I also went to Edinburgh, known as "the most beautiful city in Europe", learned some Scottish history, and enjoyed traditional English afternoon tea. It was very interesting to encounter new things and learn to be self-sufficient. I am still glad that I took this step and did not miss out on these wonderful experiences. Once again, I would like to thank the Sin Wai Kin Chinese Humanities Exchange Scholarship for their donation, which allowed me to have a better experience during this exchange.