It is 3:00 am in the morning. I feel like I have been studying for years but there are at least one hundred other students still in Chi Wah (the university’s learning common). That is something I have grown to love/hate at the University of Hong Kong. The fact that no matter what time it is, there are still stores open, people walking around and students studying. I am on my way home and somehow at 3:00 am in the morning the streets are buzzing with so much activity it feels like it is still the middle of the day. It could be because I am in Hong Kong; a city that never sleeps or the more likely reason… finals are upon us.
The fact that the educational system in Hong Kong is different from that in the US really hit me this month. I have been done with classes since the 30th of November and at Northeastern, what that would have meant is that I would be ready to go home at the latest on the 10th of December. However, at the University of Hong Kong, that is not the case.
Here, students have a week of revision period. As the name implies, it is time that the university gives students to study material from all classes, ask professors and TA’s questions about certain topics and for the unlucky few, have EXTRA classes. After revision week, students then have two weeks of exams. Yes you read that right TWO whole weeks of finals. I was unlucky this year and have both of my finals on the last week of semester… which sucks! However, as the exchange student that I am, I was going to make the best of it. I booked my fifth and final trip to South Korea. I had heard all good things from friends about Seoul and the fantastic street and food markets. So, there was no way I was going to miss that. I found a friend to come along and booked my tickets.
Nevertheless, finals were still upon me and with finals came term essays. I am taking five classes this semester. Five incredibly tasking classes. For each one of them, I had 2000 to 5000 word essays (the joys of getting older). So, I was determined to finish all my term essays before my trip to Seoul. The day before my trip I had managed to complete four of the five essays; I was so proud of myself! The last one was not due till four days after I returned from my trip so it was okay that I didn’t get to it… or so I thought.
As the control freak that I am, I decided to check on all my deadlines just to make sure everything was in order. Imagine my surprise when I found out my 3000 to 5000 word Chinese Mythology paper was due in 2 days and I had not started writing a thing. Chinese Mythology is an incredibly interesting class. However, for a non-Chinese student, it requires a lot more effort. Unlike most of the other students in my class, I did not grow up listening to the folk tales or hearing stories of the legendary figures in Chinese history. To top it all off most of the material is in Chinese. So i either had to find the translated versions or translate them to English myself. Seoul was going to be rough!
I managed to make a schedule that allowed me do everything I had planned to in Seoul as well as finish my essay in good time. After all, I would sleep when the essay was done. Seoul was amazing and I will definitely visit again; just not in December. It was definitely not as bad as a Boston winter but the transition from a Hong Kong “winter” to a South Korean winter was huge. Never mind the fact that I had a 3000 word paper that I had not started. Somehow, I am honestly not sure how, I managed to finish with even more words than required. It was a few hours late and I can’t speak of its quality but I finished. The only thing left are two final papers.
It has been an interesting couple of weeks for me to say the least. I have my last final on Friday and I am so ready for it to be over. Study abroad has been a blast and I can confidently say that I know Home Kong. Nevertheless, I think I am ready to go home now. These three seemingly idle weeks have been great. I got to travel, visit people I have not seen in a while and even sleep (at least more than I did during the semester). But I think I have reached my limit on foreign activity for the year. I am very ready to see family and friends and even more ready for a hot plate of jollof rice and fried plantain when I arrive at home.
Ps. An extra tip for any Economics and Finance majors out there who are deciding to take heavy Economics classes in Hong Kong; make sure you know your calculus! I did not realize the level of calculus required for all my Economics classes and to be honest, it has been difficult. Unlike other exchange students, Northeastern students grades from the University of Hong Kong transfer as actual letter grades. So we don’t have the luxury of Pass/Fail. I wish I knew that before picking some of these classes. On the bright side, you can learn from my mistakes.
