Diving into the heart of Hong Kong: Savignac student Baptiste's adventure at PolyU

Every year, second-year Bachelor students at Savignac have the unique opportunity to live an international academic and cultural experience. Baptiste, currently on exchange at the prestigious PolyU University in Hong Kong, shares his first days of immersion with us. Between discovering a fascinating city, adapting to the local way of life and taking his first university classes, his account plunges us into the excitement of Hong Kong. Discover her story :

‍Myfoot touched the ground in Hong Kong on January 8, 2025, my eyes, on the other hand, were lucky enough to land on the landforms a few minutes earlier, through the porthole. What a sight! I, who still hadn't realized I was leaving, despite all the hours I'd flown, was beginning to feel the excitement of the unknown. A few hundred metres up, I could already see the lush nature of the islands and the sparkling sea, but still no sign of Hong Kong's legendary skyline.

By the time we got out, collected our luggage and passed through customs, the sun was almost down. We quickly spotted the PolyU student who suggested we take the bus to the student accommodation. Here we were, definitely on our way, finding the bus among the dozens parked in the crowds, without the slightest idea of how to pay. We got away with it. Most buses here are double-decker! As the evening wore on, the bus was a privileged way to enjoy the scenery. A privileged one, because the journey lasted almost an hour! The lights of the city were beginning to dawn, and I was thrilled by the immensity of it all. First of all, the freeway, with its countless lanes; then the size of the city, stretching as far as the eye could see; then the height of the buildings, which you could only make out. As we drove through Kowloon, the streets at night were blinding, billboards everywhere, stars nowhere. At night, the streets are just as busy, if not busier. The city's dynamism is hypnotic. As we arrive at the terminus, a new challenge presents itself - Google Maps and Apple Maps aren't the smartest out here. It's a 20-minute walk to the lodgings, between stairs and roads to cross with our luggage in tow. Later, we realized that the suggested route was not (by far!) the most practical.

When we got to reception, we didn't understand a thing. We thought we'd get by in English everywhere and with everyone, but what a mistake! English is often babbled, stammered, which sometimes makes things complicated. We concentrated on the room number, the formalities would come later. I think the arrival in the room was a cold shower for us, when you see the prices of accommodation in general in Hong Kong, we're grateful of course, but without having empirical evidence, French prison cells are probably of the same ilk. It's all a question of adaptability, we'll adapt.

Curious, we went for a walk around the area: noise is omnipresent and everything is written in Chinese characters. We wanted something exotic, and we got it! Hungry, we sat down at a restaurant, but not for long as it wouldn't accept the menu. In desperation, I'm ashamed to admit, our first meal was at McDonald's. We went home to bed, where I met my roommate, Adam, a very nice Swede.

In the days that followed, we concentrated on the formalities: finding the most convenient means of payment, discovering the surrounding area, visiting the university to get my bearings... I soon got used to the city - I have a good memory for maps. After two days, I could find my way around Tsim Sha Tsui on my own. We also had induction meetings with the university to explain how things worked, and to meet the other exchange students at SHTM, of whom there are about ten.

Finally came the classes, a moment I'd been looking forward to for a long time: the timetable was light, but a lot of work was expected independently. For two weeks, the pace was relaxed, as there was an Add & Drop period which gave us the opportunity to try out other courses and add or remove those we didn't like. I ended up keeping Financial Management, Revenue Management, Resort Management, Smart Design in Hospitality and Chinese!

Between classes and at weekends, we go out to discover Hong Kong's iconic places. We go hiking every Sunday. We've already been to Macau. I regularly go climbing and Marine, my partner in this adventure, goes swimming. We've had a week's vacation, which ends tomorrow with the Lunar New Year.

We're also discovering culture, which of course starts with the stomach! Then there are visits to museums, temples and historic sites. Hong Kong is very rich and there's plenty to keep you busy! Provided you've got the budget! Life here is a bit expensive for some things. Generally speaking, we have a lot of fun and meet lots of people, and we have a Whatsapp group at the residence that allows us to organize group outings.

More to come... as the adventure continues!