Study Abroad Reflections: Deanna Coleman
Summer is here! Though I write this while St Andrews is cloaked in a layer of gray and misty rain, there is still a sense of relief across campus. Exams are over and holidays have begun. Even for students like myself who are spending a good part of their summer interning to boost up their CV, there remains to be a calm following exams–a moment to breathe before diving into the professional world in whatever capacity. And in that moment to breathe, we have gathered the last of our study abroad reflections for the term. Here is Deanna Coleman who spent her past semester at University of Hong Kong. 
“Studying abroad has been the best decision I could have possibly made. Having never been in Asia, my opinion of Hong Kong consisted of over-exaggerated opinions, such as duck heads on sticks as food, ‘no one speaks English’, and the worst of all, restricted Netflix choices. Of course reality prevailed; none of these were true.
The University of Hong Kong had bombarded me with emails in my semester prior to arrival, so my visa was quickly created, my accommodation had been confirmed, and my classes had been scheduled. My arrival in Hong Kong went swiftly; the underground – known as the MTR – is extremely fast and well-connected. For students, the majority of halls of residences are within a 10-minute walk from the university campus; which is located on the west side of Hong Kong island.
My accommodation – Pokfield Road Residences – initially came as a shock; my shower for the next 5 months would be a shower head over a toilet seat, a large American-style fridge took up the hallway, and my room was on the 5th floor with no elevator (made worse by no air conditioning and an average of 25 degrees heat). While I may have initially taken to my finsta to mock all of these qualities; this apartment soon became my comfortable home. Pokfield Road Residences was mainly filled with exchange students, which meant I was able to make friends pretty quickly.
The university campus itself is one like I’ve never seen before. The recently renovated central campus is made of 2 tall builds, mainly glass structures that create a very open-plan area. The buildings and various floors have rivers (with turtles and fish), green spaces, and incredible views over the SAR. The facilities offered are incredible: not only does the campus have their own doctors and dentists, they also have subsidised cafes and restaurants, as well as indoor and outdoor working spaces aside from the library. 
The courses offered, due to the size of the university, are much greater than that of St Andrews. The initial ‘add/drop’ period is confusing, but luckily students are given 2 weeks to try different classes and confirm their final modules. Classes are perhaps the place where the cultural diversity is most prominent, and one of the few opportunities to integrate yourself with the locals. I have found that the teachers are quite flexible, in the sense that they provide a lot of opportunities to research your own interests within the module’s field. In addition, there hasn’t been a single teacher that I have not enjoyed; participation never goes unnoticed, and they are always friendly.
The best word to describe Hong Kong is ‘alive’. The opportunities are endless; whether I wish to hike Victoria Peak, watch the Rugby 7s, or go to McDonalds at 4 o’clock in the morning (one of the most unfortunate losses in St Andrews). Equally, its history, as I have learnt from my Hong Kong Politics class, is very unique, and it truly has been a pleasure to analyse the extent of China’s influence through daily activities; whether that be discussing the news with locals in my classes, or accidently finding myself in a protest against the Chinese government while shopping. Lastly, Hong Kong’s architecture is like no other due to the mixture of British colonialism, sky rise buildings, and feng shui.
The location of Hong Kong is incredible for any student wishing to travel. The low cost flights available around Asia, combined with the generous holidays given by the university, make it almost a necessity to explore. You’ll tend to find that the app ‘Been’ is somewhat of a contest amongst the exchange students.
One semester wasn’t long enough.”