UVA Today News Blog

Denise Kaw is a third-year BA/MT student in the Curry School of Education’s five-year program where she is studying to earn a bachelors degree in studio art and a masters in special education. This semester she is studying abroad at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is the first student to participate in the University of Virginia’s new studio art exchange program with CUKH. Look for her blog here periodically as she shares her experiences.

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And So It Begins…
Jan. 4, 2009:

AH!! I’ve been in Hong Kong for three days now and it’s been so hectic - forms to fill out, moving in, meeting so many new people, getting acquainted with the campus, the list goes on.

These past few days have mostly been spent at CUHK. Orientation began on the 2nd. There are over 200 exchange students here; the majority are from the US and Europe.

CUHK is a pretty nice campus, it boasts to be the most green in all of Hong Kong. It’s a smoke-free campus [yey!] so if a student wanted to smoke, they would have to go all the way down to the station and walk to the other side of the station outside of grounds in order to legally smoke. The school is located in the New Territories. It’s far from the city, but with the train/MTR systems [LOVE the trains here], it’s very accessible.

The school is very similar to U.Va., or maybe I miss U.Va. so much that I keep making comparisons. Registering for classes is pretty much the same, therefore it’s been stressful trying to get into the classes I need, pick classes that don’t overlap, and making sure I can make it from one to the next class. I’ve always thought that U.Va. was a pretty hilly campus - hilly enough that you never want to be on crutches because it’s such a hassle/workout to get from class to class - but CUHK makes U.Va. look like flat land. This campus is practically on a mountain! It’s like U.Va. on O-Hill!

My hostel, Grace Tien Hall, is located in New Asia College. To get to the dorm you have to climb down a number of steps - therefore going back up to campus is quite a workout. These stairs put Stairs of Hell to Newcomb to shame!

Despite the uphill walking, the people here are so friendly and very much willing to help! I’m so excited for classes to begin especially once I figure out exactly which class I want to take.