Dicta 2013 | Page 67

DICTAabroad Wallis Rushforth in Hong Kong, China East of Suez: Call of the Canton W hen explaining why they chose to study abroad, students usually mention relishing opportunities and passion. But my answer to the question is somewhat self-explanatory: because Hong Kong is one of the greatest cities on Earth. The University of Hong Kong is one of the world’s leading academic institutions. The standards are high, the calibre of students higher, and the facilities are virtually unparalleled. The Law campus is an impressively modern structure - a synthesis of glass, greenery, and technology. The archaic charm of Wills Memorial has been thrust into realms of nostalgia. The courses offered by the Law Faculty are hugely varied: anything from Refugee Law to Cross-Border Corporate Finance. The professors range from esteemed academics to industry professionals, making for interesting and engaging classes. It truly is quite an honour to study here. I feel, however, that I ought to qualify this romantic portrait of HKU: the classes are each three hours long and the workload is offensive. But exchangers diligently subscribe to the ‘work hard, play hard’ mantra to get us through the arduous assessment periods. I essentially live in a shoebox. My room is approximately 10cm² and I share a bathroom with fourteen mainlanders. But being the only gweilo (ghost man) on my floor has been an amazing cultural experience. Not only have I improved my spoken Mandarin, but I have also had a crash course in the art of making dumplings. Hong Kong is fantastically mad. It is a beautiful amalgamation of globalisation and tradition. The beacons of capitalism that tower over Central are skirted by street vendors; shopping malls stand beside fruit stalls. Cross over to the Kowloon side of Hong Kong and you’re in the most densely populated place on Earth - Mong Kok, or ‘busy corner’ in Cantonese. There are 130,000 people packed into each square kilometre and the streets are an epileptic fit waiting to happen. It is also home to the Triads. Imagine that Hollywood vomited up Chinatown, and multiply by five. By nightfall, you will find exchange students marauding the city’s thoroughfares of iniquity. Lan Kwai Fong is the clubbing epicentre of Hong Kong, where the atmosphere is electric and the end of a night is signified by sunrise. Wan Chai, on the other hand, offers a number of excellent British pubs and live music venues. You have not partied until you have partied in Hong Kong. Another key feature of exchange is travelling. Hon