This week I will be discussing my pre-departure preparation and arrival in Hong Kong.
Pre-departure.
To give you some context, I am attending the City University of Hong Kong through the MIX program at UH Manoa.
"If you're over prepared you're prepared"
Communication - When it comes to preparation it is vital that you keep in touch with the MIX outbound coordinator as well as your schools exchange director. These individuals will guide you through your pre-departure preparation. Make sure to complete all necessary items at least a week ahead of their due dates (**Dont Procrastinate). I organized my due dates / tasks with various lists & calendars.
EX: "pre-departure list", "arrival list", "quarantine list", "packing list"
Finances - Its extremely important to layout your financial plan / budget. This includes spreading all your expected expenses and deciding where the funding will come from as well as creating a monthly budget.
You can view my excel budget / expense sheet / preparation list here for inspiration: (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Va4DO-Ha4EPk0uvkjDmZTA08zj3j9yHboDO9OmKu3ek/edit?usp=sharing).
Housing - Sadly due to the COVID pandemic, CITYU did not offer dorms for FALL2021 students. Housing in dorms would have been cheaper and easier to setup. If you have to find your own housing I would recommend 4 things to make your choice / search easier:
Your housing budget
Distance from nearest MTR station (closer the better)
Amenities that you want / need
Creating a list comparing your various housing options
CITYU will provide you will a list of accommodation options. My top choices were :
YESSIN @ (MONGKOK or YMT)
WEAVE ON (BOUNDARY or ANCHOR)
I personally ended up securing a studio apartment with YESSIN @ MONGKOK due to the reasonable price, location, and amenities (kitchen). My top choice was YESSIN @ YMT, however the property was fully booked because I procrastinated on putting in my deposit (DONT PROCRASTINATE!).
COVID19 - I hope that future students wont have to deal with the additional costs, tasks, and stress that the COVID pandemic has created for exchange students. However, I will address my pre-departure preparation during the COVID pandemic.
Stay Updated -Make sure you check your countries COVID requirements and news updates DAILY. This may seem extreme, However, a day before my flight, Hong Kong cancelled serology anti-body testing extending my quarantine stay from 7 to 14 days and moved the United States to a GROUP A (high-risk) country.
Documents - Obtain all necessary documents according to the Hong Kong inbound website (https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/inbound-travel.html), Print out multiple copies in case you loose any during your flight.
Quarantine Hotels - Book your quarantine hotel early (they fill up fast and some students had to cancel their exchange) and check the hotels online reviews. SOOO many exchange students talked about their disgusting rooms / quarantine food. I would recommend paying a little bit extra for your quarantine hotel and avoid booking an extremely cheap hotel.
I personally stayed at the Dorsett Tsuen Wan hotel. I was extremely pleased with my room, quarantine food, and services they provided.
Arrival
I arrived in Hong Kong on August 18th. I couldn't believe how many buildings were in Hong Kong and that they were developing even more! Furthermore, I was also mesmerized by the nature that surrounded Hong Kongs urban jungle. No wonder majority of Hong Kongs billionaires are involved in real estate (https://www.forbes.com/sites/noahkirsch/2021/04/06/chinese-and-hong-kong-billionaires-on-top-as-global-real-estate-fortunes-surge-151-billion/?sh=32cc1e451c77). For me, this was exciting because of my passion / interest in real estate.
