Almost Halfway There #HogsAbroad in Hong Kong

Sorry for not posting in a while. We had a week-long break where I met up with my parents and visited Taiwan, the Philippines, and Japan! Now back to the show.

The last few weeks were filled with basic school things. Go to class, study, eat, sleep, and repeat. I did, however, get to explore some more of the island with my roommate and a couple other exchange students. Whampoa is a pretty cool area with some ritzier places and great spots to hang out. The MTR (Metro) makes it so much easier to get around than driving and it’s something I am going to miss.

Regarding school, I finally had my first quiz of the semester during week 5. It was in Chinese and it went fairly well. It’s very strange to me to not have tests or quizzes, but with the final being 50% of your grade and group projects being up to 35%, what can you expect? My advice is that even though there are no tests, make sure to study along with the class. This will make it much easier when the time comes.

That’s all for now! I’ll leave you with some pictures!

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Junior Kyle Phillpott is spending the spring 2019 term in Hong Kong through our U of A Exchange program at City University of Hong Kong.

Read more from Kyle at https://americaninhongkong.home.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Sure I’ll go to Dinner (Week 2) #HogsAbroad in Hong Kong

First let me clarify, yes this is my third week in Hong Kong, however, this is the second week of class. :)

This week was a long week. I basically had a sinus infection all week which made this week go that much longer. Classes were pretty good; the classes here all have a large project so we selected our groups this week. One thing to note was that most classes have little homework, so no “mylabsplus” or “connect”. The last comment on the classes for the week is to wait to buy books until this week as you may not need some.

On to daily life here at CityU.

The school has a lot of societies and resident hall events. This week we had the Resident Hall basketball competition which was fun because one of my new friends made the team. There was also a dance competition, where many of the groups had a dance style similar to K-Pop. There is a photography competition coming up so I’m figuring out how to enter that.

The weirdest situation I have been in so far has to go to the random dinner to which I got invited to. I had taken the MTR to Hong Kong island to eat and take pictures around the city. I ran into this cool park which had abstract light-up displays and thought that it would make a great photo-op. As I was taking pictures, this group of 30 something-year-old bankers noticed my camera and asked me to take a picture of them – although with their cellphone. After that, they invited me to dinner and we talked a bit about what I was doing here and how long I was going to be here. They took me to a Japanese restaurant. I got their contacts and we are going to get together after the Chinese New Year break.

Sorry for the short post, I am sick, hopefully, will be better next week.

Here are the photos of the week!

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Junior Kyle Phillpott is spending the spring 2019 term in Hong Kong through our U of A Exchange program at City University of Hong Kong.

Read more from Kyle at https://americaninhongkong.home.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

One Week Down #HogsAbroad in Hong Kong

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect for my first week of class. I learned that there are what are called tutorials, what we call SI, separate from many of the classes. Although at CityU, they count as credit hours! My marketing class, for example, had two hours on Monday and then an hour of tutorial on Tuesday. These tutorials are just supplements or classes that review the material. The other information I can share is that you should wait to buy the books until after the first class. One teacher said the book store was out so to see if you can download it off the web from a link. The last thing I can share from this week is that most of my classes are lectures in a single session, so expect the first day to be a “real” class with material covered.

During the week I got to explore some more. I recommend that you explore as much as possible until you get busy, because when classes start it will be a little harder. I visited Victoria Pier, and a few markets. The Goldfish Market was a little underwhelming, however, the bird garden was very cool. An elderly man let me take his picture and even put some birds on my hand, although I didn’t get a picture of that. The Pier had a fantastic view at night although it is much better if you go after a sunny day when it's clear due to the smog making it much less visible at night.

If you’re like me, you love breakfast food. I recommend AC2 canteen. It’s in the Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin Academic Building. You can buy scrambled eggs, potatoes, toast, and a cup of hot coffee or tea for $16hk. If you’re a bit hungrier for $20hk you can get three main items. This is a great price and if you like American style breakfast to start out with, this is a great option.

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Junior Kyle Phillpott is spending the spring 2019 term in Hong Kong through our U of A Exchange program at City University of Hong Kong.

Read more from Kyle at https://americaninhongkong.home.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Move In! #HogsAbroad in Hong Kong #TravelTipsTuesday

I arrived the night before the first available move-in date option, which I highly recommend so that you can be well-rested the next day. I stayed at a hotel near the airport; however, no amount of rest could have prepared me for the following week. I was lucky enough to get a dorm room in the lottery this semester so this is how it was for me — your mileage may vary if you are off campus. On Monday I was picked up at the airport by a CityU shuttle and taken to the University. The bus ride wasn’t too long and honestly, it was great to talk to the other exchange students. Looking back on it, the students I met on the shuttle were many of the people I hung out with that first week. 

Once arriving at the University, we were checked in, and we went to our dorms where we quickly realized we had no idea what to do next. Given our “completely lost” status and the fact we were the only students on campus, we met up to try to figure out what to do. I believe it was the first or second day when there was a welcome session in the Yeung Kin Man Academic Building. At this session, we met the exchange student helpers and received the paperwork to get our student ID’s. Later that day with that same group of helpers, we went on a trek to IKEA to get things we needed for our dorms. This was good as another night without a pillow was going to wreck my neck! Personally, I felt IKEA was a pain and I probably could have found things cheaper elsewhere, but hey, they gave me free travel to and from the store. 

For the rest of the week, I followed the schedule sent to me by Jasmine Wong which gave me time slots and places I needed to be that week. This schedule was significantly more structured than the first day’s schedule. One key point is that once you get your student ID you can apply for a student Octopus Card. The student card gives you half off most MTR (Metro) rides. The Octopus Card is used for payment for the metro, food, and a bunch of other places. You will need a 50mm by 40mm picture so if you can bring that from home it makes life easier than trying to find a print shop in Hong Kong. In addition, in the early days, it’s easiest if you have Hong Kong currency. I ordered some from my bank before I went which I highly recommend.

How did I spend my free time you might ask? I spent a good chunk of time running around completing this form or getting this stamp, but I did get to explore and handle some personal stuff too. Make note, the dorm rooms DO NOT HAVE WIFI. You must buy a router, I recommend going to the Sham Shui Po Markets, but if that is not possible go to Fortress in Festival Walk. Routers are not technically supported, but all students have them and they run about $200 HK. My technical how-to advice:

You set routers up by doing the router “quick set-up”, and then on the router set-up web page, you need to find the tab that allows you to clone the MAC address of your computer to the router. Then in Google type CityU Hong Kong Internet on your phone or go to the WIFI room (common room) and fill out the “Connection in Residence” form after logging in with your EID and password. You fill it out with that cloned MAC address and chose the side of the room (when you face the window) that the router is plugged in via ethernet. For the type and OS pick “other.” Give it 1-6 hours and in theory, it should work… it’s not an exact science.

Worst case try to find someone who is in the residence hall already who has it set up to help you, or get your Floor Tutor (their version of an RA) to help you. The method stated was how I got mine to work.

When I wasn’t dealing with technology issues, I was hanging out with other exchange students. Everyone uses Whatsapp here so make sure to download that and get your family and friends to as well (although if you have an unlocked phone and plan to get a sim card like I did, you may want to wait to set it up until you have that card so you can do a phone verification in case you have to restart your phone for whatever reason.) I met students from all over and it was really interesting to see how others dealt with the situation of being slightly lost. One thing we made sure to do was to travel with someone so that if you get lost, you’re at least lost together. Groups of us would go to the markets or to get food and that made things less lonely and you felt like you had a better idea about everything. Basically, the first week everyone went out every night. One place called Mr. Wong’s was very popular due to the cheap unlimited food. Many of the other exchange students had a great time there; it wasn’t my kind of place, but I could see how it would be a fun bonding experience.

My advise for now is to bring cash and and try to befriend the exchange students! Those are the best things I did this first week. See you next week!

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Junior Kyle Phillpott is spending the spring 2019 term in Hong Kong through our U of A Exchange program at City University of Hong Kong.

Read more from Kyle at https://americaninhongkong.home.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

The Journey Begins #HogsAbroad in Hong Kong

Thanks for joining me!

My name is Kyle Phillpott and I am an Economics student at the University of Arkansas. This semester I was given the opportunity to study in Hong Kong. The following Blog will be a week by week update of my thoughts, feelings, and experiences while at City University Hong Kong.

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Junior Kyle Phillpott is spending the spring 2019 term in Hong Kong through our U of A Exchange program at City University of Hong Kong.

Read more from Kyle at https://americaninhongkong.home.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Culture Shock: China in 5 Photos #HogsAbroad

Suzhou, China

One of the biggest culture shocks the group experienced that had not previously been to Asia was that the restrooms often did not have the traditional toilet. Rather, they would have the indoor version of an outhouse which was quite the shock for those of us that had never experienced this style of restroom. This was the first experience I had with the restroom in China outside of the hotel and this was at Suzhou university.

Shanghai, China

The Bund in Shanghai was a vibrant place featuring many shops and views, such as this view of the Shanghai financial district. The metro station made travel across the water possible for us tourists and we visited that side of the city immediately prior to this picture being taken. This trip was a pure test of ability to navigate an unknown city and its public transportation.

Shenzhen, China

The poverty and inequality in terms of income and quality of life were substantially low for the people of China. Homeless people, often disabled, were very prevalent and were often in the middle of the sidewalk asking for money from passerby.

Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

 This photo illustrates the dichotomy between the view of the city from high up versus the view of the city from the street. From above, it is evident the many moving parts of the city such as the people, the flow of traffic, and the constant construction and how it all appears to be a big puzzle. From the bottom, the pool on the rooftop and the vegetation surrounding it alongside the vegetation and hideouts on the other high rises was non-evident, alongside the incredible architecture as is depicted in the building at the top left.

Beijing, China

This photo was taken at the only wonder of the world located in China, The Great Wall. Although this wall was built to promote separation from the Mongols, in this picture it is clear that many years later, this wall serves to promote unity for those who visit to marvel at its beauty and grandeur.

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Invest in your own study abroad program today! Find more internship and study abroad opportunities within Walton College at http://walton.uark.edu/global/index.php

4 Budgeting Tips for Your Time Abroad #HogsAbroad #DiversityAbroad

Article courtesy of DiversityAbroad.com  
Financial stresses can really detract from your experience abroad. In particular, I struggled because I studied abroad via the multi-country program, Semester at Sea. Because we were in a new country every week, I had to constantly adjust my budget to new currencies and exchange rates. As challenging as this was, it is absolutely worthwhile because by budgeting properly, I was able to minimize nagging worries about my expenses, and was able to fully embrace my experiences abroad. With that, here are some tips for how you can budget for your study abroad program.

Have an Emergency Fund

Picture this: It is midnight and I am alone in a foreign country. I had foolishly decided to split from my travel buddies while in Marrakesh, Morocco to explore the winding alleyways and twisting corridors of the city on my own. The soothing sun has descended and now a chilling moonlight descends, covering me in cold. I needed to get back to the hotel - fast. I checked my wallet. All out of Dirham (the local currency)! Thankfully, I had put aside money for an emergency such as this, and only needed wifi to transfer the funds into my account. As a result, I made it back safely.  Preparing for inevitable unexpected crises by having a financial backup plan is essential for study abroad success. I recommend saving up or storing a few hundred dollars in case of emergencies that arise. You'll be thankful you did!

Establish a Monthly Budget

By creating a monthly spending budget, you will start to notice if you are on track to spend every dollar you have before your trip ends. For instance, while in Hong Kong, I went to a world famous tailor suit shop called Apsley Bespoke Tailors. I entered ready to confidently bargain for a perfect price...and ended up spending $600! Not only had I bargained terribly, but I had also blown my budget. Buying this suit was definitely a splurge, but because I had established monthly spending budget and tracked my expenses, I simply updated my budget sheet and knew exactly how much I had swayed off track. I was forced to adjust my spending for the future, and as a result cut future expenses so that I could stay on track in the long run. For me, having a custom suit was worth it, but that's a decision only you can make!

Split large expenses with friends whenever you can

While in Vietnam, my friends and I rented out a small luxury villa and shared it among 20 students total. It was the most fun I had in years! The total bill for a week of accommodations per person: $8!! Simply by splitting expenses you can make awesome experiences more financially feasible for everyone.

Research Hostels, Transportation, and Tourist Traps prior to arrival

One of my friends got stranded in India. She was trying to make it to the Taj Mahal, but the bus transportation she was relying on dropped her off at an abandoned station with thirty strangers. She was understandably worried and because the buses failed to help, and she ended up paying over $500 in rupees to take a taxi for six hours just to get to the Taj Mahal. Although she couldn't have known the bus would leave her stranded, that extra expense and dangerous situation could have been avoided had she researched the bus company ahead of time, and instead chose a mode of transport that was safe, reliable and affordable. Spending the time to do your research will save you more money in the long run above all else. Plus, it's a life skill that you can continue to use anytime you decide to explore someplace new. Be an informed global citizen and check out resources like the Diversity Abroad Community Forums or wikitravel to find out as much information as you can ahead of time.

BONUS TIP: Have A Recurring Source of Passive Income

If possible, try to secure recurring passive income before you go abroad. This will help you worry less about money and truly enjoy your experiences abroad. For instance, by renting your on-campus housing to someone while you are gone, earning royalties for something you created and published, or investing in high-return stocks with dividends you can create consistent passive income. However, the process can be risky. I invested in stocks prior to traveling in the hopes of using the return on investment to fund my travels. Instead I lost several hundred dollars. So choose wisely!

In conclusion, budgeting can be a tricky process. Do not overcomplicate it. By simply,having an emergency fund, tracking your monthly spending, doing your research and splitting expenses with friends, you will alleviate the majority of your financial stresses, allowing you to delve into your life-changing experience abroad without any distractions!

About the Author

Austin Joseph is a study at Morehouse College, and a Diversity Abroad Campus Fellow during the 2016-17 academic year. He set sail with Semester at Sea, and volunteered during the 2016 summer Olympics in Brazil!

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Read more from DiversityAbroad at:http://www.diversityabroad.com/study-abroad/articles/4-budgeting-tips-time-abroad

If you need help getting started with study abroad, take a look at the first steps: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/getting-started/index.php

 

The End of Another Exchange Semester #HogsAbroad

May you always have walls for the winds, a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire.
~Irish Blessing

It's that time of year again, when we send our international exchange students back to their home universities. In an exchange, outbound U of A students are exchanged for incoming students from our partner institutions to spend one semester or an academic year at the host university. Exchange programs offer students a chance to discover how their disciplines actually live, breathe, and work in other languages and cultures. For a list of our exchange options, check out http://studyabroad.uark.edu/exchange.

Five Study Abroad Scholarships Still Available for Fall 2016

1. Delta Phi Alpha Scholarships
   Application Deadline:  Tuesday,  March 15, 2016.
   Fall study abroad $1,250 scholarships for German Honor Students are open for application! Application and more details are available through the following link: http://deltaphialpha.org/funding/scholarships/. Student members at institutions with an active chapter (like the U of A) may apply. If you are interested in joining the Delta Phi Alpha chapter at the U of A, email Brett E. Sterling at bsterli@uark.edu
    
2. #GoStudyAbroad Scholarship
   Application Deadline:  Thursday, March 31, 2016.
   The Institute of International Education (IIE), in partnership with Go Overseas and AIFS Study Abroad, CET Academic Programs, IFSA-Butler, STA Travel, launched the #GoStudyAbroad contest to encourage U.S. college students to study abroad. Students who enter the contest can win a $10k study abroad scholarship (along with other prizes). Students must be US citizens over the age of 18 and will complete a short essay question about why they want to study abroad and how a Prize will help them realize their goals. Enter to win a scholarship here: http://www.gooverseas.com/generationstudyabroad
3. Diversity Abroad Scholarship
   Application Deadline:  Friday, April 1, 2016.
   The Diversity Abroad Network “Diversity Network” will offer summer scholarships in the amount of $1,000 for full-time undergraduate students attending Diversity Network Member Schools such as the U of A. Here is the link to DiversityAbroad.com:  http://www.diversityabroad.com.
4. Freeman-Asia Scholarship
   Student Application Deadline: Monday, April 11 for Fall 2016.
   Freeman-ASIA accepts applications from U.S. citizens or permanent residents studying at the undergraduate level at a two-year or four-year college or university who demonstrate financial need to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia. To access the application, and to learn more about eligibility, timelines, and scholarship requirements, please visit their website: http://www.iie.org/Programs/Freeman-ASIA.
5. Bridging Japan Scholarship
   Application Deadline:  Friday, April 8, 2016.
   Applicants will be notified of the results by May 30. Selection will be based on academic potential and financial need. The scholarships are administered by the American Association of Teachers of Japanese. Information on the Bridging and Morgan Stanley scholarships and downloadable application forms are available at AATJ's Web site: http://www.aatj.org/studyabroad/japan-bridging-scholarships.

For more scholarships for study abroad, please check out http://studyabroad.uark.edu/funding.