HKU Bulletin October 2003 (Vol. 5 No. 1)

18 EXCHANGE STUDENTS 19 O le Baranowski has already swapped the casual clothes of a student for the regulation suit demanded by his new life as a company intern. But that has not stopped him learning about life in Hong Kong. The German student was studying for a degree in business administration and engineering at the University of Appl ied Science in Bremen when he had to decide on where to go for the compulsory course requirment of a year abroad. Baranowski admits that his reasons for coming to Hong Kong for six months study and six months work experience, when the world was his oyster, was a pragmatic mix of the down to earth and the high minded. He said: “We have an exchange programme wi th The University of Hong Kong, it was cheaper and easier to arrange but those were not the main reasons. “The most important reason was that I wanted to get out of Germany and Europe. I wanted to go somewhere completely different and outside my experience. “I thought that the chance to experience Asia and HKU would be quite interesting.” One of the things that struck Baranowski most sharply was the contrast in approach of teaching staff to their students. He said: “Compared to the universities in Germany the professors really care about you and help you. When I first arrived, the head of department spoke to us for thirty minutes to welcome us. That would be quite impossible in Germany. “If you want to speak to a professor in Germany it is difficult. There are a lot of students and staff don’t have the time. You have to make an appointment.” What Baranowski did find difficult to adjust to was our campus culture and, in particular, the halls of residence that went with the exchange package. He said: “It was a very strange experience. For the first two weeks I was a little bit scared because it seemed like a semi- military environment. “These groups of students would run through the building the whole night, singing songs and so on. I really did not understand what was happening.” Any idea that this soured the experience, however, is laughed awa B y. esides adapting to University l ife and Hong Kong, the German exchange student has also taken time out to visit Beijing, Macau and Shanghai. Baranowski said: “I really enjoyed the whole experience. It was very cosmopolitan with lots of different cultures and I was always busy meeting new and interesting people. “I am now spending the second part of the year as an intern with a German trading company over here. “What I am certain of is that this has given me a taste for Hong Kong and I would like to come back once I have completed my studies back in Germany.” New Experience Gives A New Perspective W hen Joachim Mion told his teachers that he was off to study in Hong Kong he was met wi th a wi ther ing combinat ion of condescension and concern that his educational development would be scarred for life. The French student smiles at the memory only a matter of weeks after beginning his Bachelor of Arts degree studies because he bel ieves he is getting the best of both worlds: broadening his mind as well as his knowledge. Mion said: “French people are qui te proud of thei r (educational) system so when I told my teachers about Hong Kong they said ‘Why, when you have a beautiful chance to continue your French studies?’ “The teachers are very narrow minded about going abroad and believe strongly in the merits of French education. I don’t believe they are so daring about education and want to keep it the same way.” This insularity was reflected in the fact that both Mion and his parents had great difficulty in tracking down any information about The University of Hong Kong. The 17-year-old laughed: “Nobody would come from France to study in Hong Kong. They would rather live in Hong Kong and travel to France to study!” The opportunity, however, to work in an English speaking environment and adapt to a radically different syllabus was one Joachim is determined to take advantage of. He said: “The themes and the way the courses are taught are very di f ferent here and very interest ing. They are highl y specialized; for instance you could not have a course about Buddhist studies in France. “We also do not have campus universities where people live and the social mix of societies and clubs so this is quite special.” The French teenager believes that these clubs and societies have helped him to mix socially and overcome the inevitable barriers that arise in the first few weeks of a new university life. One of the biggest shocks for Mion, however, has been adapting to the use of computers as a study aide during lectures, something that France shuns in favour of the traditional hand-written notes. He said: “The Hong Kong students were horrified when they learned we have to make written notes.” The next academic year will see Mion return to France to resume his studies in preparation for securing a place at one of the country’s top universities. He said: “There is no equivalence so this year in Hong Kong will not count academically. “But from the point of view of improving my English and broadening my educational and cultural perspective I think I will go back to France a better person and better student.” The Best of Both Worlds Joachim Mion