Exploring Knowledge and Enjoyment in HKU

2016-level Yu Rundong of Cuiying Chemical class

On July 15th, 2018, on a rainy afternoon, several other members and I which are the summer exchange students of University of Hong Kong (Song Pengyi, Ma Jiarui) landed at the Hong Kong International Airport. Coming through the land, flying through the clouds, passing through the gateway, and overcoming the challenges, we finally arrived in Hong Kong, which is known as one of the "Asian Four Little Dragons." After taking off the plane, it’s not the colorful commercial street, but the harbor and airport that surrounded by the mountains. The green-wrapped mountain bury its head deeply in the quilt-like clouds. With prepared umbrella, blocking the intrusion of the silky line, we rushed to the exit.

    At the exit, the seniors of the University of Hong Kong had already waited for us for a long time. After simply asking about our situation, the seniors enthusiastically took us to the taxi. When I accepted the driver's baggage service, I was still worried about the tips. The driver's habit of driving on the right side and the double-decker bus galloping outside the window caught my eye. I did not know how many bridges and islands we have crossed. We finally arrived at the student dormitory of the University of Hong Kong: Swire hall. Just when I was wondering where the school gate of the University of Hong Kong was, the seniors had already asked in Cantonese and pay the taxi driver and then took us to the Swire hall. After the key and the building card were assigned to us, I came to the door of my room. After open the door, it was not old-fashioned atmosphere, but the fresh and cool air-conditioning style. Looking at this neat, bright and spacious two-person room, I feel much comfortable. At night, after three of us ate an extra-large pizza, we went out to find a store that sells daily necessities outside the dormitory where the humidity is close to saturation. Finally, near midnight, we found a "seven eleven", in which we bought the "Octopus" and Hong Kong calling cards necessary for a better life and received a few coins with a bauhinia pattern on the back. After a day of exhaustion, we hurriedly hid in a dream

On the first day of school, I was impressed by the architectural form built by the University of Hong Kong in the mountains. After paying the price of being late, I finally found the first teaching building. The classroom is usually clean and tidy in the University of Hong Kong. The retro British architecture and modern teaching are perfectly integrated, and the first three rows of seats are full of people. The distribution of the meal coupons before the start of the class relieved my concerns about the diet, and the distribution of the black and white handouts made me feel down to earth. The first lesson was expected to be taught in English. Unexpectedly, the teacher taught with a northeast accent in the Mandarin. Maybe I don't care about the final exam or Maybe my English skills are so pool, so that I cannot absorb a lot of lectures. Perhaps I should rethink the significance of the huge tuition fees for summer exchanges, but the night of Hong Kong has dispelled all my doubts and made me relax.    

The best impression of Hong Kong at night is prosperity, luxury, and bright lights. The sun just hidden under the horizon, a skyscraper is changed into a colorful neon new clothes, swaying in the seaside stage. On the first night of school, we came to Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong, and at night the people in the streets were like red blood cells running in the arteries, and the colorful lights lit our enthusiasm for shopping. The Bird Park in Kowloon Park gives me a close-up glimpse of tropical birds, retro but clean streets filled with shops and billboards, Hong Kong Night Lights shining in the sky ... We are in the unbridled shopping at the same time but also did not forget the rational consumption because no matter in what society, control spending to reduce the fiscal deficit is the truth.

When it comes to studying and living, , it is inevitable that classrooms, canteens, and dormitories were smashed everyday even in the summer semester. At the beginning, three of us were assigned to different groups. Each group of three people belonged to well-known colleges such as Fudan University, Zhejiang University, and Shanda University. The group display task at the end of the semester tied the three of our group firmly together. English teaching is doomed to indigestion and malabsorption, and the light and heavy curriculum has given me a sense of urgency to "black cloud to crush the city". The literature of the American Chemical Society, which was sent out in the middle of the term, also hit me in a hurry. During the semester, there was a period of time that I was of so much pressure  that even the BBQ in the canteen could not evoke my appetite. However, when I think of the responsibilities of the teamwork and the exams at the end of the semester, I feel faintly that I seem to have a harbinger of obsessive-compulsive disorder. In short, in the end of the summer exchange of the University of Hong Kong, we have successfully completed our performances. As far as I am concerned, when the “performance” is over, I turned around and hurriedly left, not wanting to pay attention to applause and comments.

Finally, I received a photo of the first time I entered Hong Kong and a thin certificate of completion. I feel that the photo record is the deep friendship between Hong Kong University and other famous school students and the gratitude to the teachers of the University of Hong Kong. The certificate of completion is a two-week period to challenge the persistence and efforts of the English environment. Closing the cover of the certificate and looking at the blurred coastline outside the airplane's porthole, I suddenly felt a moment of ease and satisfaction.