Study Abroad - Benefits To All Areas of Life

As cliché as it may sound, my study abroad semester changed my life. I spent the second semester of my third year of geomatics engineering at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU) as an individual exchange student in their Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics program.

A lot of students think that studying abroad will set them behind in their studies and that any benefits of studying abroad would not make it a worthwhile enough experience – this could not be further from the truth. I made sure that my time spent on my exchange would count towards my degree and I ultimately received credits for four geomatics courses during my semester in Hong Kong. The University of Calgary’s Geomatics Engineering department was incredibly helpful in building a plan that allowed me to take required core courses as well as courses that were in my interest area and complimentary to my degree. Not only did I receive credits for all of the HKPU courses, I was able to take a really interesting course not offered at the University of Calgary: Geo-IT for Environmental Management. This course, and aspects of my other courses taken at HKPU, opened my eyes to the different industries geomatics is applied in and especially to how geomatics is key to major cities and will help greatly to build smart cities for the future. My semester exchange at HKPU has already greatly aided my student career, it was hugely advantageous to have a study abroad semester at a top university on my resume while applying for internships: I received an internship at the Leica Geosystems headquarters in Switzerland in their network reference station team.

Outside of the academic experience, Hong Kong was such an amazing, diverse country to live in. I miss the boba on every street, the convenience store sushi that was actually good, the amazing Thai place I would go to every Friday with my friends for “Friday Thai-day”, and the Happy Wednesday horse races where exchange students from all of Hong Kong’s many universities would meet up. I miss riding the trams on a night out and being able to get out of the city to a beach or island in under an hour on public transit. Figuring out how to live in another country that is so different from Canada has given me an amazing sense of confidence and has motivated me to live a life where I am constantly experiencing new places and people. One of the best parts of a study abroad semester is that for several months you are in a completely different part of the world as a starting point to exploring nearby countries. I saw the cherry blossoms bloom in Tokyo this spring, spent Easter vacation in Singapore and Thailand, and, as I’m currently living in Switzerland for my internship, just spent a weekend getaway in Milan vintage shopping and eating pasta.

On a more serious note, my semester in Hong Kong has given me so much empathy and understanding for the issues the protesters there are facing – many of whom are students just like me. I am grateful for having left my comfort zone in Canada because it has aided my academic career, allowed me to travel, and given me a greater sense of self, but also because it has made me better able to appreciate the world.