Greetings from Hong Kong!

Hello!! Annalise and I arrived last Saturday after a VERY long flight. My buddy Anthea picked us up from the airport and was super helpful! I definitely suggest communicating with your buddy before coming because you will need help to get back to campus. It took us about 2 hours (2 different busses) and lots of hands! It was also helpful to have her because I personally don’t know any Cantonese and the workers who were here spoke very little English. The campus is very quiet on the weekend but picks up during the week. The campus is absolutely beautiful and our view is unreal.

How to get to IKEA

If you are given the purple key card when you arrive on campus, you can take the student bus to University. Then, get on the train to Sha Tin. From there, it is only about a 5-minute walk to the HomeSquare Mall.

If you arrive on the weekend and don’t get the purple card until Monday, you can take the 74K bus to Tai Po market station and then get into the train towards Sha Tin.

What to buy:

Once you get into the mall, IKEA is on the 6^th floor. You will be able to get your pillow, comforter, pillow case, and sheets there. I highly suggest getting a floor mat for the bathroom too! The floor tends to get very wet after you shower so this will help avoid a big mess in the bathroom.

Octopus Card: **SUPER IMPORTANT**

How to get one: When you get to the airport if you have time definitely get an octopus card! There will be a desk on the first floor near the exit. You will need to pay $150hkd but I suggest giving $200hkd. It costs $50hkd just for the card alone and you will use this card for legit everything.

Where can you use it?

You will need this card for all transportation. Every time you get on a bus or train you will need to tap the card before getting on.

74K-4.9hkd – Runs every 20 minutes 5:50am-12:10am

School shuttle-5.3hkd (Brings you to university station)

Food spots on campus:

(Any) 711 Right down the stairs next to the bank and canteen. If you are going from the above level, once you reach the library/study area go down the stairs to the left and you will find it on right down the stairs.

Pacific Café- You can either go in next to the bank/canteen or by going down the stairs next to 711. If you go in from the bank/canteen area, there will be automatic doors. Then go in and straight down the escalators. Then follow all the way down until you get to the café! You get a student discount there as well. Perfect if you want a latte, Frappuccino, breakfast food and lunch food.

Canteen- There will be a sign that says The Cove. Go into there and to the left there will be self-ordering machines. I suggest those because the workers usually don’t speak very good English. You have to pay for your food using the octopus card there though. If you do not want to, you can pay using other forms of payment at the desk.

Off Campus:

In the city, most of the stores/shops (fast food/markets) take Octopus cards as well!

 How to add more money to the card:

You can add money at any 711! Just give the person at the counter the money (in cash) and then tap your octopus card and you are all set. I would suggest adding a few hundred dollars at a time so you don’t have to worry.

You can also add money to it at any of the train stations. There will be machines right before you scan your card in to go where the trains are.

How to turn on hot water in Jockey:

Next to the light switch, there is another switch. Just turn it on before you go into the shower and turn it off once you get out! Super easy but took us a day to figure it out. You do NOT have to touch the red faucet or anything else to make it work.

School language: Although the two schools are an English-speaking school, the students only speak English during English class. I have found that the students don’t talk in English at school unless they absolutely HAVE to. When talking to other student teachers, they mentioned that some students won’t go out of their way to talk to you because they would rather not speak in English. I highly suggest trying to make conversation with the students and not be shy because once you start to talk to them, they will feel more comfortable with you and want to talk to you. A lot of the teachers speak English so don’t be afraid to talk to them questions!!

Sim card at airport: I got a SIM card in the airport for $190HKD ($22) for the month. I went to a place called 1010. It was super easy!! Just make sure you have a safe spot for your old SIM card. I put mine in my phone case. Although there is WIFI pretty much everywhere, it was nice to be able to have my phone in case I needed directions or if I was bored on the busses and trains. They will give you another 30 days once the first 30 days is over. Then, I am going to go back to the same place when I leave so they can put my old SIM card in for me before I go back home.

Tai Po:

Tai Po is a very easy and accessible area for food and adventure. Take the 74K bus to Tai Po bus terminus stop. It takes about 30-45 minutes depending on whether or not the bus takes the long route. Beautiful view on the way!! Then, once you get there, you will be surrounded by many food places. Walk around and see what there is! If you are craving McDonalds, that is you place to be. There are a lot of malls and plazas (they call it a mega mall) but a a lot of it is outside.