My First Week

After concluding my first week of my internship and my first month in Hong Kong I have had many new experiences. From traveling to Macau to spending time with local students at CUHK I have absorbed much of the culture here. I have learned to stop asking what food is, because odds are you'll end up getting something different. It was really fun learning about China's history and the differences between mainland China and the S.A.R.'s, such as restrictions on the flow of information, and the different currencies. It was also interesting to note that the Hong Kong dollar can be issued by different banks, so not all bank notes look the same, even if they are the same dollar value.

Lion Dance - Macau

My first week of work was very interesting. I designed a company profile, to get a good understanding of Innoverz, and their different brands/companies within their umbrella. I assisted with editing, as well as writing sections for the website for Pop Up Table, a new brand they will be launching soon. The most interesting task I've been assigned to, as well as spent the most time on, is designing and actually putting together an accounting system for Innoverz. I am utilizing Excel as a platform because of the simplicity of linking information, and the fact that they already have the rights to utilize it, so it is at no added cost. It is a bit challenging trying to remember visual basic from first year to implement into the Excel program. It's really cool that my computer is all in Chinese. They are looking into getting an English version for me. I never noticed how much using my laptop constantly at UOIT has allowed me to know where certain buttons are in programs, and what they do without seeing the words or explanation on the screen.

View from My Window at the Nest (Police Station)

I have been spending my lunches with my coworkers, and talking with them at work, to learn more about China. They are helping me learn some words in Cantonese and I am helping them with their English. Today, I learned that Ping Pong is called Ping Pong Ball here. I even learned new things spending time with the students from California. They were almost all from different majors, so it was interesting to hear about the differences between the schooling systems. They are also extremely proud people, but a lot of fun to spend time with.

Fish Market

I also try to be at the Hong Kong Science Park at least 15 minutes early so I can spend some time at the waterfront looking at the view. The water and the mountains are really pretty, especially in the morning. It's kind of cool that the view I look at from Science Park is the opposite side of what I used to look at from the CUHK Residence building.

View From Waterfront at Hong Kong Science Park