Hong Kong Heaven

I know that almost everyone you talk to about their study abroad experience says that it was the greatest experience of their life. Unfortunately, I continue to fill this cliché when I say that my study abroad trip to Hong Kong was beyond anything I could have dreamed. Never have I cried harder than in my taxi cab on the way home from the airport!

My program involved studying Supply Chain Management through the McCombs School of Business at UT and the business school at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). My program didn’t just involve sitting in a classroom, however. I was able to get a hands on experience in the whole world of supply chain management by traveling to various areas around the United States and Asia and to follow the complete production of 4 different products in reverse, all thanks to Target.

We started at a local SuperTarget in Austin and then traveled to a Regional Distribution Center in Midlothian in May. While the members of the trip were still awkwardly getting to know each other, we anxiously awaited being reunited in San Pedro, California, where we would spend a weekend in June visiting ports and a Deconsolidator. We arrived at the airport at 3 PM on Monday, June 8^th, and awaited our flights in the wee hours of the morning. Anyone who was hungry squished into a small Mexican joint at the baggage claim of the international airport, since we couldn’t go through security until four hours before our flight boarded. It was incredibly disappointing that we had to stare at the beautiful airport California Pizza Kitchen and Pinkberry from afar.

 

I had never felt more nervous than when I was standing in line to board our plane. I looked at my friend and said to her, “Is it weird that I feel kind of terrified to go on this trip?” Her response was pretty on point when she responded, “No, but at least you’ve been to China before.” That statement is true, I had been to China when I was entering my junior year with 30 other members from my high school who took Chinese. I know what you’re thinking. Yes, I do speak Mandarin, and I have taken classes in it for 7 years.

Hong Kong welcomed us at 7 in the morning with 95 degree weather and 70% humidity. We had to lug our 100 lbs worth of baggage up a steep hill in this weather… for about half a mile. We stayed in dorms and prepared to adjust to the brutal time change post our 14 hour flight.

To say that Hong Kong is absolutely stunning is a complete understatement. It looks like we stepped into a Jurassic Park movie, but with skyscrapers. And without the dinosaurs, of course. We traveled to Macau by ferry for one night, where all 30 of us on this trip rented out the penthouse of the Venetian Hotel to bond after our sightseeing. For those of you who don’t know, Macau is similar to the Las Vegas of China. It was an incredibly unique experience to say the least.

We alternated taking classes in Supply Chain Management in Asia, which was taught by prestigious professors of CUHK, and Intro to Operations Management, which was taught by Dr. Michael Hasler and Dr. Guoming Lai of the McCombs School of Business. We had class everyday from about 9-1. The material was so fascinating and the professors were so stimulating, class time flew by and we were more than ready to spend the rest of the day exploring the wonderful city.

In lieu of making this blog post more like an essay, I’ll highlight some of the most wonderful adventures of my Hong Kong trip.

By far the most breathtaking experience in Hong Kong was climbing (well, going up a trolley and a bunch of escalators) to the highest part of Hong Kong, Victoria’s Peak, where we were able to get a 360 degree view of the whole city. I stood staring off into the buildings, greenery, and water in complete silence and awe. It was that moment when I realized how fortunate I was to be spending a month and a half in such a glorious city. We spent the rest of that night eating Bubba Gump from a window view at Victoria’s Peak and watched the incredible light show that causes the city to glow at night.

We spent one of the weekends in Beijing to explore some of the touristy sites. We traveled to the Forbidden City and Tian An Men Square, and of course, the Great Wall. I had been to Beijing before, but I hadn’t taken a chairlift up to the top or taken a slide on the way down. I felt so free and independent standing up there just looking out over one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was also pretty cool to use the Mandarin Chinese that I learned there, since I wasn’t able to use it in Hong Kong.

We also spend part of our time in the southern part of China exploring factories that made the products we were following. It was so fascinating to get a first-hand look at a Chinese factory. My favorite factory was Hong Kong City Toys. It was crazy to see how dolls were made. I was also incredibly curious as to how they managed to put the hair on the dolls, so that was pretty mind-blowing if I’m being totally honest.

I could talk for hours or pages on end about the rewards of going on a study abroad trip, but I was thrilled that I was able to spend time in a place like Hong Kong. It was such a life altering experience having been involved in such a culture shock and being so far away from home, but I wouldn’t change any of it for the world. I created friendships and memories that I will forever hold near and dear to my heart. 

ZLAM,

Savanna Fields PC '14