Hello
everyone!
This
is the first of many entries that I will use to document my time spent studying
abroad in Hong Kong! I hope to use this blog as a place to reflect on my
experiences, keep my friends and family up to date, and encourage future
students in their study abroad pursuits!
First
off, I’ll tell you a little bit about myself. I am a sophomore at Central Michigan
University and I am majoring in Women’s Studies and Religion and minoring in
Philosophy and Sociology. I love what I study and I am so excited to add an
international perspective to my knowledge in these fields! In my free time I
like to read, paint, and travel! I am passionate about volunteering, and here
on campus I am involved with Leadership Safari, College 101, and International
Peer Partners. I also love my friends and family! I am so sad to leave them
behind, but I know that this is the start of an amazing chapter of my life and
that it will all be worth it.
This
semester I will be studying at Lingnan University, which is a small liberal
arts university in the suburbs of Hong Kong. To give you some context, Hong
Kong was a British colony until control was handed over to China in 1997. Now
it is a special administrative region of China, meaning that it has some ties
to mainland China but is mostly free to make its own laws and policies. Its
fascinating structure and cultural history makes it a unique city, and life
there is a blend of both Eastern and Western influences.
Aside
from all the cultural differences which I am sure I will experience while I am
away, I will also get to see what life is like at a university much smaller
than Central. Lingnan has only 2,600 students, which will be a big change from
CMU’s twenty-some thousand.
The
things that I am especially excited about right now are meeting lots of new
people, getting settled in to the hostel where I will be staying, trying the
food, and starting my classes. Here’s what I’ll be taking:
-
Language and Society
-
History of Religions in China
-
Gender, Culture, and Society
-
Introduction to Sociology
- Global Culture and Citizenship
I am sure that this will be a transformative experience that I will never forget, and I am looking forward to starting this scary and exciting time in my life. I have done a lot of work to get here, and those who have helped me along the way have done even more. I already know that I am about to start a journey that will leave me deeply changed for the better, and I can’t wait to see how!
