10:00 AM was time for our first orientation meeting. The hall was filled with at least 150 students from around the world. According to the Director of OAL, there were a total of over 202 international students who came in this spring semester along with 100 plus who were continuing on from last semester. 60% were from the US and Canada, 25% were from Europe and the remaining 15% were from Asia.
The two hour long orientation consisted of a variety of speakers. The OAL staff briefed us on trips we could expect to take during the semester and our course registration procedure. The Director of Health spoke and the Director of sports also spoke. The sports Director, Mr. Chen, especially entertained us by pointing himself out in every other photo he showed. He wanted to recruit foreign students for CUHK's sports teams. We all liked him. He looked so healthy and his energy was so positive. Listening to him talk reminded me of BSU, the students there, and how much fun it was to be involved in sports.
Lastly, the principal of a nearby school system spoke about the Teaching in Hong Kong and Teaching in China programs. The programs are volunteer English teaching experiences in rural elementary/middle schools in HK and in China.
During the lunch break, I killed time by exploring the John Fulton Centre more carefully. The bookstore is on the ground floor, though it is quite surprisingly small for a university bookstore. I wondered if the students weren't getting their textbooks through some sort of blackmarket instead. The grocery store I had also heard about (Park n' Shop) was in fact more like a grocery-like convenience store. I decided I would go to Shatin for my shopping needs instead.
At 2:00, we were advised on how to register, add, and drop courses during the first weeks of school. Being postgraduate status, I didn't have to worry as much about all the deadlines.
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