你好 – Hello!
I am Jalmari, a master’s student in Urban Studies and Planning at the University of Helsinki, and I will spend this Autumn semester in Hong Kong. This blog is about my student life here.
Some of my posts will be included in the blog of the exchange services of the University of Helsinki. For this reason, I decided to write in English in order to provide some information about exchange studies for the international student community in my home university.
Preparing for the Exchange
Getting ready for an exchange can be a long, complicated and somewhat exhausting process. I did an Erasmus during my BA studies, so I knew what to expect to some extent. Thankfully, the website of the Uni Helsinki had excellent detailed information about different phases of the application process. While the systems and formalities of my exchange university CityU (The City University of Hong Kong) were confusing at times, I managed to pull everything off in time and got the student visa as well as really interesting courses!
Getting ready for an exchange is much more than just the paperwork, though. It’s mostly pure anticipation and excitement! And it was really easy to get excited about Hong Kong, especially from a perspective of an urban planning student.
Based on my experience, I would recommend these ways to get acquinted with the exchange destination prior to leaving:
Couchsurfing. I am currently writing this post sitting on a couch in a flat in Hong Kong Island. I just arrived here an hour ago and the first thing I got to do was to meet a local, take a shower and stay at his place.
I have used Couchsurfing a lot during my travels and hosted people in Helsinki, too. I have found it to be a perfect tool to immerse yourself in the local culture and make new friends! About a month ago I posted an open request to Hong Kong user community that I need a couch for one night before I get my room in the university dormitory. I got five replies from different people who offered to host me, help me buy a phone card, take me to a history exhibition of the public housing estate, explore the city together etc. Oh, and I have a dinner date with a group of locals next Friday. I sincerely recommend using Couchsurfing to kickstart your experience the right way and avoid being entirely sucked into the exchange student bubble!
Videos. I also read articles and listened to podcasts and audiobooks about Hong Kong but you can really find a lot of captivating video material about this city. I had really good luck as one of my favourite video channels Vox Borders put out a 5-episode miniseries about Hong Kong just this summer. See it here!
Guidebooks. I found a great CITIx60 City Guide about Hong Kong that details the favourite places and off-the-beaten-track tips from 60 local creatives. It is really useful to have a small guidebook full of information about cultural spots, art centers, live music venues, independent shops, cafes and restaurants etc. to get you started once you arrive. Now I have a long list of places to explore without having to dig them up separately.
Nerd alert! One thing I like to do whenever I go anywhere is to set up a personal map in Google’s My Maps service. It is basically a way to geographically bookmark and organize the places you know of and want to visit. Your personal map of interests is also a great tool to help you form an understanding of the geography, how different neighbourhoods are situated in the city and where various functions are located within them. Unfortunately I haven’t had time to make my Hong Kong map yet but I will start filling it gradually here.
Making the Trip
Finally it was time to go to the airport and start my exchange! I chose a flight that had a lengthy layover in Doha, Qatar. It was also among the cheapest alternatives but I wanted to use that chance to visit a new place for me as well as get a chance to walk around between the long flights. I had time to explore Doha from late afternoon to early morning. I ended up wandering around the Souq Waqif bazaar and eating some really tasty Syrian food. After a few hours of walking in 39° C, I took the bus back to the airport.
Arriving in Hong Kong
When my plane landed it was 30° C outside and raining heavily. I took the public transportation to my host’s place in Hong Kong Island but unfortunately got totally soaked during the 100-meter walk from the metro exit to the hallway of his building. Still, it was kind of cool to experience a rain that warm, definitely different to even summer rains in Finland. When I tried to find the flat entrance, people were really helpful and came up to me to help with directions.
Finding your way in the Hong Kong metro was really easy because there were clear signs all over. I already bought the Octopus card which is used in the public transportation but I still have to find out how to get a student discount linked to it. Tomorrow morning I will go to my university by two different metro lines than the ones today. I will check in to my student dormitory and then participate in the activities of the first day of the orientation week. It will be so amazing to see this city in daylight for the first time!
Now I will enjoy this comfy couch that I have as my place for tonight. It has begun.
Jamppu in Hong Kong 