Marc Schleif
- Senior at Bentley University studying Computer Information Systems
- Exchange student at the University of Hong Kong
- Techie, optimist, beach lover
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Can’t believe I’ve been home over a month already, but this video includes clips from Hong Kong and every country we visited. Can’t wait to go back!
- Seoul, my first trip out of Hong Kong
Wow, so I’ve been more than a little irresponsbile with this blog. Between a couple crazy work weeks, extended trips (I know, study abroad problems…), it’s just been a little unloved. BUT I’m going to recap everything so far.
So, Seoul. I went with four other exchange students, 2 French guys, a French girl, and a German girl, and we all fell in love with Seoul before the end of our first day. The people, landscape, neighborhoods, and CUTENESS. Seriously, Hong Kong is extremely urban, and Seoul was such a nice break into something a bit more homey. Streets were lined with coffee shops (which I miss every day), little clothing stores, pubs, karaoke, and Korean barbecue. I couldn’t think of what it’s called at first, but then it hit me: character, duh. Seoul has TONS of character, and cute character at that. It really felt like being in an Asian version of Boston, and feeling a bit at home was definitely a nice feeling.
We got a great deal in a guesthouse in Hongdae, a college area with Hogik University. What I previously described was the norm in Hongdae (and clubs, how did I forget those?) and it was the perfect place for us to stay. Us five had our own room with pink bunk beds, and our host, Oazzang (pronounced Oh-jung) was incredible. He honestly made our stay so fun, and we always looked forward to seeing him. At the end of the trip we were sad to say goodbye, but of course had to get a group picture.
The week before I was completely consumed with a group project and a few papers and didn’t have much time to do research about what we should do in Seoul. Fortunately, some of the crew was able to plan a few things, but we never made a formal itinerary. We would talk about ideas the night before, then just roll with it. One day we tried to go to a temple, but it was closed so we adventured around the area instead. Being spontaneous was fine with 5 people, and I loved being able to make and change plans at the drop of a hat.
Ok, so more about the city. Seoul was by far the cleanest city I’ve ever visited. And the most technologically advanced. Often I felt like I was in the future, between the screens in the metro that showed exactly how far the trains were to automatic sliding doors in public restrooms, it was amazing. And helpful. The city had translators in tourist areas dressed in semi-ridiculous red outfits to offer their services, and for free! And the nightlife? Incredible. The earliest we got back was 5 am, and that’s only because we had to leave for the airport at 10am! Clubs kept on going, the crowds were a blast, and it was great to see lots of local people out. In Hong Kong when we got to Lan Kwai Fong (the main club area), it’s mainly internationals, so this was a nice change. That’s another thing I loved about Seoul, it wasn’t touristy. Or at least it didn’t feel like it. Basically, it was the opposite of Bangkok (read: future post).
Seoul was my first trip outside of Hong Kong, but there’s a good chance it’ll be the most memorable. I loved it so much, I’m actually going to check out starting to learn Korean in the Spring (seriously). (Oh, and I found this awesome website about K-pop, Korean food, and general culture here) I’ll have a light course load for my final semester, why not? One of my dreams is still to learn a language and live and speak it in that country. Cantonese is a little hard (read: impossible), but Mandarin and China are always an option, too.
We were fortunate to have perfect fall weather (with foliage!), an amazing guesthouse (miss you Oazzang!), and a great travel group. The same five of us just booked our tickets for Tokyo in December, and the two guys have admitted they’re also going to “nerd it up” on the trip, aka spend half the time in arcades playing old-school Sega games. I’ll do a little more research this time, but like Seoul, I’ll leave some space for adventuring, and to chance.
- Tropical beaches, parking your dog, and bars in the sky
I’ve been in Hong Kong two weeks as of tomorrow, which seems a little crazy since we’ve done so much in such a short time, but it’s already going by quickly.
As Hong Kong has a subtropical climate (read: HOTTTTT) we made it a priority to go to the beach.
On the bus to the beach:
For about 50-75 cents US you can take a bus pretty much anywhere since Hong Kong Island is relatively small. I found this picture that puts it into perspective a bit compared to Manhattan.
Hong Kong Island is about 1/3 larger area-wise, but the majority is undeveloped because of the mountains.
Anyway, back to the beach.
It was fairly crowded, but the beach itself was amazing. There were even a few little floating docks a couple hundred feet out that we swam to and just vegged for a while. Also for the record, that’s probably the furthest I’ve swam in a few years. Just in case, there was a life guard floating around in a mini-catamaran with an umbrella, and in bright red letters on the side was “FOR LIFE SAVING ONLY” so we didn’t bother to say hi. Also for some reason there was no real beach-type food, just a little pizza place, so I ate a small pizza by myself in the 90 degree sun. A little hot, but this was my first pizza since being in New York (for the record, New York has the best pizza in the world…so far at least).
After baking in the sun for a few hours, we headed up to Stanley Plaza, a multi-level shopping/multi-purpose center. I’m saying multi-purpose center, but this place was really bizarre and had EVERYTHING. There was an American grocery store, a few banks, lots of shops, a row of restaurants on the water, and an outdoor mini-ampetheater complete with little misters to keep you cool. Fortunately for us, there was a baby concert going on so we stopped and watched for a few minutes, thinking about how creepy it was.
Someone rented out on the open spaces for a birthday party, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. The only thing was the party was for a dog. Seriously.
I wonder if he/she knew it was his/her birthday?:
Also, in case you walk from your beachside pad with your dog, there are dog parking spaces strategically laid out around the facility your maximum dog-parking convenience. It makes sense, but is just weird to physically see. What happened to just tying the leash around a poll?
Ocean Park
A group of us, some local and some international, made it out to Ocean Park (basically Sea world on steroids). We rode some roller coasters, gawked at some massive fish, and ate some questionable (as-usual) amusement park food. The park is actually positioned about 200 meters above sea level with views of the surrounding beaches. Two of the roller coasters we rode were basically on the edge of cliffs, so dropping down and going through a few loops was that much more of a rush.
Dolphin show:
The park is situated on two sides of a mountain, but to get from one to another, you have to take a tram or a gondola. The tram went through the mountain, but the gondola went right over it with some amazing views.
Kennedy Town
HKU is right on the edge of Kennedy Town, a less ridiculousy-modern, more Cantonese-speaking part of town, so we walk down the hill frequently to grab food or hang out.
A garage in Kennedy Town:
More obligatory food pictures:
K-Town is cheap and close, and Hong Kong’s culture really shines through here. Many shops are tiny “mom n pop” type places, but are right next to chains like McDonalds, KFC, and 7-11s. Many people don’t speak English, so I break out my pointing at picture skills to show what I want at restaurants. A few times people haven’t understood me and I’ve gotten something completely different, but that’s okay too. Still trying to be less picky and just eat it if it’s on my plate, but still no seafood…
Saw outside a dim sum place, reminds me of California:
Since I’ve almost exclusively been eating local food, I get really REALLY excited whenever I see food from home. Someone from a bar recommended a pizza place in Kennedy Town that actually has pretty good pizza, so I ate another whole pizza for lunch yesterday and it was amazing. Even McDonalds feels a little like home, and I never go to McDonalds in the US.
The feeling of constant unfamiliarity and not being able understand any Cantonese is sort of normal for now, but coming across something familiar is a really great feeling. I totally understand why many international students stick together at Bentley, or anywhere, since you instantly have something in common (speaking English is pretty big). At the grocery store today I spent $8 US (cue mini heart attack) on my favorite cereal, but again, mainly because I got really excited about seeing something familiar from the US. And honey bunches of oats with strawberries is an awesome cereal to begin with, anyway.
Not too shabby for Hong Kong pizza:
HKU Medical Campus
I grabbed lunch the other day with one of the first people I met on campus. Marco (sounds familiar…) is a local student and has friends in the medical school, so we grabbed a bus down Pok Fu Lam road to the campus.
We were able to check out a bunch of labs, including ones with rats and other animals, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the animals being dissected. I can take apart computers pretty well, but not so much with anything alive. Some of his friends were doing research on childhood cancer, and we were able to see a bunch of experiments in progress.
No idea what this does:
As working in the medical field is most likely very stressful, HKU students and staff are fortunate enough to have their campus RIGHT ON THE WATER, it was amazing.
One of Marco’s friends said people come outside to de-stress and grab some air, which almost makes me wants to become a doctor here. Oh wait, I’m a little squeamish and can’t stand the sterility of a hospital, forgot about that…
Ozone
Last night a massive group of people (everyone on exchange at HKU??) bought tickets to the highest bar in the world, Ozone at the Ritz in the International Commerce Center across the bay in Kowloon. I was debating on bringing my real camera, but ultimately decided against it. Phone pictures are only so good, but the view from the 118th floor was incredible, especially from the open-air section of the bar.
Being almost a half a kilometer in the air was an experience and every other skyscraper (except the IFC on HK island) didn’t really look like a skyscraper anymore in comparison. The juxtaposition between the modern buildings and lush mountains in the background make Hong Kong’s skyline one of the most beautiful in the world, and seeing it from here was spectactular.
Classes
Add/drop here has been quite the experience between trying to get into classes and seeing if Bentley will approve them. For the classes that have been approved, it’s evident that Hong Kong is an international city just by looking around the classroom. In one of my classes the professor went around and asked everyone their name and home country, only to hear people from 15-20 countries around the world. Of course the majority are still from Hong Kong and mainland China, but the number of exchange and non-local full time students was a surprisingly large chunk of the class. It’ll make for interesting discussions since 1/3 of our grade is based on attendance and participation, and I definitely learn more from this model than everyone’s favorite cram and exam model.
The weather is cooling down a bit (still pretty hot and humid) and the 2nd week of classes will hopefully go smoothly, but somehow we already have 2 days off coming up next week for Mid Autumn Festival http://bit.ly/PbRmrn.
- Centennial Campus
HKU’s brand new (open as of Monday and much still under construction) Centennial campus preparing for the double cohort of 3 and 4 year degree students is unbelievable. Someone’s money tree has been very fruitful lately.
80 inch TVs? Check
And who said Hong Kong doesn’t have any available space??
The new learning commons:
But seriously, the new campus is stunning and will support the new 3 and 4 year degree programs. Twice the number of freshman, and studying in style.
Causeway Bay is very similar to Times Square, and even has a Times Square mega shopping mall (Watch in HD if your computer can handle it!)
- On Dining
Hong Kong is known for it’s amazing food, which my roommates tell me is pretty different than mainland Chinese food. Partly due to laziness in not going to the grocery store, but also since the food is soooo goood, I’ve been eating out for every meal over the last week. Oh, and it’snot just pretty cheap, it’s really cheap, and sometimes on the verge of mind-blowingly cheap. I’ve been meaning to check out McDonalds to see if it’s any different, and the Big Mac, fries, and drink were all the same, except the regular drink was much smaller than in the US. And the whole meal was only USD$2.60, compared to probably $7 or $8 in New York :-O. The only thing similar is that fancy restaurants are very similarly priced to those back in the US.
12 cucumber rolls, a Sashimi roll, giant rice bowl, and bowl of edamame for USD$6.50:
Reservations
A lot of restaurants around here are hole-in-the-wall type very small places, and reservations don’t exist. If you want to go to a popular place, you put your name in and they’ll come outside and get you whenever you’re ready. I have yet to see those little buzzy things letting you know when to come back, either.
Sitting at Tables
Space is at a premium in this vertical city, and I’m not sure if it’s because of space, the culture, or both, but if your party does not fill the entire table, the restaurant will sit others right next to you. I’ve had a similar experience at Dim Sum in NYC Chinatown, so it wasn’t too surprising here. Even at McDonalds, just find an empty seat and grab it, even if it’s in between/across from a bunch of people you don’t know. An empty seat here is a good seat.
Clearing Your Table
Don’t worry about clearing your table in a fast-food or cafe-type place, just leave it there and someone will take care of it, and usually very quickly.
What To Bring
If you order food, you will typically get just that, nothing extra. No water, no napkins, no nothin! Most people buy combo packs of napkins at a 7-11 and carry a portable one around, though. Some old-school restaurants will also not have toilet paper and you are expected to bring your own. Walking into a bathroom the other day, I was greeted with a squatting toilet and no paper. It’s supposed to be more sanitary, but I’ve never seen one before and just used the one in Ikea down the street.
Locals love Ikea Swedish meatballs, too:
Tipping
Tipping is interesting, but mostly it doesn’t exist. I wasn’t sure and tipped my taxi driver from the airport the other day just in case, but he looked at me like I had two heads. But in a good way. Tipping is unnecessary, except for some places that charge a “service charge” similar to the way US restaurants charge for 20% for more than 6 people. Except this here it’s just 10%. At bars and clubs, I’ve seen several places include a 10% service charge and there’s a space to tip more on your receipt, but it’s not necessary and the bartenders won’t scream at you if you don’t tip like in the US.
The Check
It’s brought to you right after you order. They’re not trying to get you to leave before you get your food, but it’s all about efficiency. So far it doesn’t seem like most people hang around for that long after they’re done with their meal. Also, it seems standard to pay for meals diner-style aka taking it up to the register in the front.
Mango pudding, an incredibly popular dessert here. Mango, evaporated milk, and a dash of pure awesome http://bit.ly/NzjSG0:
I’m sort of picky, but trying to be a little more adventurous. There was a bowl of chicken feet on our table at Dim Sum last night that I didn’t partake in, but we’ll see if I’m any less picky by the end of this semester.
- First Impressions
The Plane Ride
First off, Hong Kong is amazing for way too many reasons, but I’ll get into details as this blog progresses.
However, just getting here was quite the trip. I visited Italy 5 years ago and thought that was a long flight, but 15 hours to sit in one spot was a very new experience. Even with the aid of nyquil, it was a very very long ride…
I left New York at noon on Sunday and arrived Monday around 1:30pm and knew I would be battling jet lag for at least a few days. With only a few hours of semi-decent sleep, I was in a daze, but made it through immigration incredibly quickly (HK is extremely efficient with everything, a reoccurring theme).
As a pretty big germophobe, I saw the following in one of the elevator airports and could tell I would like this place.
I took the airport express, an unbelievably clean and super fast subway, from the airport to HK island in about 25 minutes. It cost HKD $100 (about $12 US), but was worth it for the view itself.
My Dorm/Apartment
My setup at HKU (University of Hong Kong) is pretty unique. I share a room dorm-style with two mainland Chinese students also on exchange, but we have our own bathroom and mini-kitchen. And washing machine, which seems random to me. It’s technically post-graduate housing since they may have run out of regular hall housing for some students. Oh, and this was very interesting to get used to the first couple of times…
On the side of the wall, we have a water reserve and a shower head right next to the sink and toilet, but I’m actually used to it now. It also makes you take very quick showers since it can’t hold more than a few minutes of hot water at a time!
My roommates James (from university in mainland China) and Yao (from mainland China but exchange from Exeter in the UK) are awesome and hopefully I’ll be able to pick up some Mandarin from them. They say Cantonese is even tough for them, so we’ll see if I can pick up a little bit at least. So far, I can say excuse me, thank you, stop (for a taxi) annndd that’s about it…
The Peak
One of the most popular tourist attractions is to visit Victoria Peak via a very steep tram at the top of Hong Kong. A bunch of exchange students and I went up to check it out, and it won’t be the last; nighttime is supposed to be even more spectacular, although we were incredibly fortunate to have such a clear, beautiful day.
From the tram:
And the Peak:
Hasan, Zack, and me (all from Bentley)
Probably not the best idea…
From the other side of the observation deck:
The Peak was amazing, and the hot day and intense humidity made for a sweaty, but great time.
Transportation Impressions
The public transportation here is amazingly cheap, efficient and FAST! Whether it’s a minibus, double-decker bus (influence from the ex-British rule?), Taxi, or MTR (subway), you can get wherever you need to go easily and safely. Also, I’m much more likely to take Taxis here when you can get from downtown to HKU for less than US$5.
The double-decker buses are bright, colorful, and probably too massive for some of HK’s tiny, winding streets. But some even have free Wi-Fi!
The MTR has doors that separate the platform from the train, the stations are air-conditioned, and have cell-phone reception. Also, the trains are one massive car that you can walk through from front-to-back, unlike any other train I’ve seen before.
Victoria Harbor
Victoria Harbor is the harbor between Hong Kong island, where I am staying, and Kowloon across the bay. You can take the MTR or the Star Ferry (unbelievable view) across for a nightly 8pm showing of a coordinated light and music experience with many buildings of the HK skyline. The show has the world record for the longest running show of its kind, and is a major tourist attraction.
Remember Batman? Part of it was filmed here at the International Finance Center:
Minding my head while waiting for the ferry:
Probably my favorite shot of HK so far:
Me, Zack, and Hasan:
Also…
My first real Chinese meal near our apartment! (Insanely delicious, and about $4.50 USD.
View from HKU’s campus, which will make me never complain about Bentley’s stairs again. All the buildings here are actually on top of each other. The ground floor of one building may be the 5th floor of one right next door!
So…?
So I should be sleeping right now since tomorrow is our first day of classes, but I wanted to get a post out first! The past 6 days have been amazing, and I look forward to many adventures here and around southeast Asia in the forthcoming months. I couldn’t be happier with my decision to come to HK and have already met so many incredible people from around the world. Life in HK is very different, and I’ll get into that in more detail in future posts, but for now I’m still working off that 12 hours of jet lag…
- First post!
Tomorrow’s the first day of classes, working on my first probably super long post right now…
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Tweets
- Yo dawg, I heard you like operating systems, so we put an OS in your OS in your OS #xboxone #pimpmyxbox #OSception http://t.co/wMDJqd5kHV
- It’s back and re-inflated!! MT: @WSJ: Hong Kong celebrated the return of its beloved giant inflatable yellow duck http://t.co/ENuOHCQg0n
- Nice job @ultramusic, your site was fine, but as usual #ticketfreak is a disaster #fail #dumpthem http://t.co/A6B4bRNy3CMay 21, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- @ultramusic Are the early-bird tickets limited to one per order?May 20, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- RT @MMeas_: No one cares about the hangover you have.. It sounds like a personal problem. #socialmediaisntyourdiary
- Had a burger at @Wendys while watching an infomercial about drugs to pee less plus gospel music playing #epicfail http://t.co/nW6WeO8YiW
- Congrats to class of '13, and mad props to the @Lifeisgood guys, absolutely incredible speech! p.s. caught a frisbee, it’s going on my wall!
- RT @GianaManganaro: I have an all new appreciation for the Life is Good brand #inspired #bentley2013
- @Boston_Calling On the tickets it says a seat number, are there actually seats or is it just standard general admission?May 12, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- So @davidguetta is doing a show on the Great Wall of China, wish I was back for this!! http://t.co/uP44wEIyoI
- @merev6 Uhm OBVIOUSLY what kind of question is that?
- RT @NYNightlife: Ultra Music Festival 2014 early bird tickets will go on sale May 21st. General Admission is $149.95.
- If there’s such thing as too beautiful of a day, this is it #seriously
- Dear pop music artists: please stop using hashtags in your song titles, it’s trashy #kthanks
- Missing my #hongkong life, trying to figure out how to get back ASAP http://t.co/vyFYSh0iaX
- And also with you. See you @bentleyu on the 18th for #graduation! MT @Lifeisgood: May the 4th be with you today! http://t.co/O50jKgsoW4”
- Spectacular seeing the spire of the new World Trade Center rise to make it the 3rd tallest building in the world #nyc http://t.co/kyotgBeHfgMay 02, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- RT @JOEmomma91: Last night was a great idea #slash
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Info
- IT Attestation Associate at KPMGInformation Technology and Services | Greater New York City Area, USSummary
College undergraduate studying computer information systems at Bentley University.
Starting with KPMG Advisory in Summer, 2013.
I embrace change, and am excited to see what's next.
Experience- Jun 2012 - Aug 2012IT Attestation Intern / KPMG
Performed IT control testing and assisted with SOC1 attestations for a global financial services company.
Supported a corporate audit by working closely with the audit team and the client to mitigate financial risk. - Jan 2012 - Apr 2012Technology Extern / Deloitte Consulting
Collaborated with a team to research how social and mobile technologies can be implemented to improve the retail industry.
Interviewed subject matter experts with relevant specializations for further research insight.
Created culminating white paper and presentation with strong recommendations based on the team’s findings.
Improved presentation and communication skills through trainings and direct coaching from consultants. - Sept 2011 - Feb 2012Service Learning Program Manager / Bentley University
Managed a retirement apartment complex service site with a team of four other program managers
Oversaw and maintaining the quality of students’ daily service with the community partner
Facilitated reflection periods for students after service and relating service back to the classroom - Aug 2011 - Nov 2011First Year Seminar Facilitator / Bentley University
Facilitated a first year class to ease the transition for 23 students into college life.
Worked closely with a staff member to create curricula to engage students in small-group and whole-class discussions. - Aug 2010 - Jun 2011Corps Member - Math & Literacy Coordinator / City Year
Selected to participate in competitive one-year Americorps program (top 20% chosen) and completed over 1,700 hours of in-school and physical volunteer service during the 2010-2011 school year.
Improved students’ attendance, behavior, and grades through 1-on-1 and small group tutoring in a 4th grade classroom.
Ran and organized an after-school program for 60 students with homework tutoring and an original curriculum. - Mar 2010 - Jul 2010Information Technology Intern / Alzheimer's Association
Installed new servers, pushed updates office-wide, and managed users through Active Directory.
Created and facilitated staff trainings on how to maximize productivity with Microsoft Office 2010 and GoToMeeting. - Mar 2010 - Jul 2010Census Enumerator / United States Census Bureau
Traveled throughout the Greater Boston to hotels, campgrounds, and permanent residences to ensure everyone was counted in the 2010 census.
Interviewed diverse groups of people while following strict protocols to make sure personal information for the census was accurate and secure.
Education-
2012 - 2013The University of Hong KongInformation Systems in Bachelor of Science
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2008 - 2013Bentley UniversityBachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems
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