INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE · GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

English Immersion Programme – Centre for Global Programmes, The University of York, England

Strengthening Global Perspectives

25 June – 10 July 2016
Tour Coordinator: Mr. Terence LI

In line with the University’s aim to strengthen the international dimension of our students’ College life, CIE expanded its overseas English Immersion Programme with another university. This year we collaborated with the Centre for Global Programmes in the University of York. Today, York ranks in the top 150 institutions in the THE World University rankings and which is one of the youngest universities the world over.

CIE students attended the two-week English Immersion Programme which aimed at enhancing students’ English language training. During the study tour, students strengthened their global perspectives by meeting and interacting with other York students through “international afternoons” and they also took part in activities organized by the University’s student societies. Alongside attending English classes at the University of York, an integrated programme of cultural visits was arranged. Apart from these activities, there was also an optional weekend experiential learning trip to London, Manchester and Edinburgh. Not only did our students develop their social skills, they also raised their cultural awareness through home-stays and appreciating the English lifestyle.

This pioneer study tour to UK was very successful that CIE has plans to extend the study tour to 3 weeks for the next cohort!

"To Become an Independent Person"

WOO Ho Yeung, Damen （Psychology, Year 1）

One of my expectations of joining this tour is to learn to become a more independent person. Hong Kong students have long been criticized as being too reliant on their parents, and not knowing how to solve their daily problems. This would be a great opportunity for me to train myself to become more mature. In addition, learning how to get along with people from different cultures is also one of the objectives of this study tour. At first, I was quite worried about living with a host family as I have never had the chance to live with strangers before. However, staying with a local family was not a problem at all. I learnt a lot from my host family. For example, I found that British people are more aware of etiquettes, especially table manners. My host mother told me that I had made too much noise when eating. I was not aware of it before, and no one ever reminded me of anything about table manners. On the other hand, I noticed that British people always say ‘thank you’ or ‘cheers’ to bus drivers as a token of appreciation when they get off the bus. This has inspired me to be thankful to what I have had.

Besides, the weather in England was very good. York is warm in the day and cool at night. Unlike Hong Kong, it is always hot and humid in summer which makes people feel suffocated. On the whole, I must say I gained a lot from this tour, which is far more than I had expected.

"Experience the British Culture"

HUANG Yue Ying, Natasha （Bilingual Language and Literature Studies, Year 2）

The life in York is quite different from that in Hong Kong. There are lots of beautiful buildings and lakes. We could see ducks nearly everywhere. During the classes, we were divided into small groups which enabled us to brainstorm our ideas and practice our English. Not only did I have a good time in class, I also had an unforgettable experience with my host family.

My host mother Corrina was a very kind person. Before this trip, I was a bit nervous that I cannot get along well with my host family. However, Corrina sent me a warm welcome by e-mail and it turned out that communication was not a problem at all because we talked a lot every day. At first, I thought that British people only eat fish and chips for daily meals. My host mother told me that she actually likes a great variety of cuisines apart from local food, for example, she would cook different dishes at home, such as, Thai, Indian, Italian and Spanish. She also talked a lot about British culture during our dinner time which I had learnt a lot from her.

Apart from staying in York, my friend and I went sightseeing in London during the first weekend in England. We visited the British Museum, which is one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. There were a lot of collections from all over the world. I spent almost five hours there but it was really worth visiting.

To sum up, the trip was truly memorable. I have learnt how the local people start and sustain a conversation. I can now catch the essence of some British humor. During my own visit to London, I took the initiative to chat with strangers and asked them how I could get to some places. I am not afraid of talking to strangers anymore. All these valuable experiences made me become a more confident person and I have no doubt to recommend this tour to my friends at CIE!