I Don't Miss Ivey Yet...

Hi everyone! I am here to report that...I don't miss Ivey yet! Classes started yesterday, and I think I have a great semester ahead of me.

There are a few things that are unique about taking classes at HKUST. First of all, it is really hard to find your way around. Remember what I said about the university using over 30 elevators to get students to and from classes? Well...finding your classroom is so complicated that the university has developed a program to help us. It is called the "Lift Selection Advisor," and we can find it through the HKUST Intranet. Basically, we put in our room number, and the program tells us which lifts we should take to get to that room.

The other thing that is interesting is that, although classes are taught in English, none of my professors are native English speakers (and they aren't all from Asia, either - one is from Europe). And, obviously, for most of the students here at HKUST, English isn't their first language either. It can create a bit of a language barrier at times. Oh, and also, for two of my classes, we are required to write an "English Proficiency Paper," to determine the level that our English writing skills are at. It is worth about 5%. Lucky me!

I don't know if people care to hear about this, but here are the classes I am taking this semester:

1) Groups and Teamwork in Organizations
2) Entrepreneurship and Small Business Studies
3) Pricing Strategy
4) Introduction to E-Commerce

I really wanted to take an introductory Mandarin course - Introduction to Putonghua (that is the official language in Hong Kong). I just couldn't fit it into my schedule.

I mean, I could have taken it.

But then, I wouldn't have Fridays off.

And we just can't have that.

Just think of what it would do to my travel plans!

So, as of right now, I finish class at 1:30 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and I finish at 10:30 am on Thursdays. That's right. I am looking at a 3.5 day weekend EVERY WEEK.

Philippines, Thailand, China, Macau, Vietnam...and more...here I come!