As of writing this first blog, I have been at HKUST for about a week now. Now that I am here, I want to make a top 5 list of what you should bring to a study abroad program in Hong Kong.
1: Travel documents – This might seem obvious, but travel documents should top your checklist. While your passport is crucial, most study abroad programs also require a student visa for your host country. For HKUST, I had to apply for the Hong Kong visa several months in advance. Even then I only received the visa about two weeks before my flight despite submitting everything early. Speaking of flight, another important thing to note is to book your flights early. Plane tickets are cheaper if you buy them several months in advance, so you will save money if you do it early.
2: Comfortable clothes – Researching the climate of your destination is another thing you should do before you travel internationally. For Hong Kong, it is much hotter and more humid than the Philadelphia weather, especially during the summer seasons. You should pack comfortable and breathable clothes such as shorts and t-shirts for this weather. Another thing you can do would be to pack less clothes from your home, and purchase new clothes in your destination. That way, the clothes you buy will be suitable for the local weather, and it is cheaper to get clothes in Hong Kong than in the US.
3: Technology – It is crucial to also make proper preparation for technology before entering a new country. Ensure you have the proper adapters for your chargers. In Hong Kong they have type G socket which has three prongs and is the same one used in the UK. In the same vein, you should also get access to your destination country’s cell service as soon as possible. In Hong Kong you can purchase a tourist sim card for 33-48 HKD at convenient stores. This way, you can have cell service to use the local maps and get in contact with your loved ones back in the US.
4: Cash – I almost made the mistake of not doing this, but you should carry some US dollars when you travel to Hong Kong. When you arrive, you can convert your money into Hong Kong dollars. Beware, if you exchange at the airport, you may get rates that’s sub-optimal. Though US credit cards can be accepted, there might be foreign transaction fees. In Hong Kong, there is this neat payment system called the Octopus card, which can be used for public transit, buying food from the school canteen, and even grocery shopping. I will talk about it in more detail in my next blog post. Even though this Octopus card is so widely accepted, cash is still commonly used and often necessary, especially in smaller shops, local markets, and for services like taxis. Therefore, it’s a good idea to carry some cash with you at all times to ensure you can handle all types of transactions smoothly.
5: Snacks from your home country – In the first week of this program, my roommates and I arranged a movie night on our dorm floor (we watched New Police Story from 2004, we chose this movie because it starred Jackie Chan and it was shot in Hong Kong). Students from various countries joined in on the movie night and everyone brought snacks from their home country. We had beef jerky from Mexico, tamarind mango gummies from the Philippines, dried fruits from Iran, and I brought Cheez-It crackers from the US. It was a fun opportunity for everyone to meet others, enjoy a fun movie night, and most importantly share the different cultures through snacks.
