As you know you spend half of daily life in your dorm so you need to make it as comfortable as possible.  For me, I’m planting a small plant in a pot to make my room slightly more homelike. I brought the seeds from my home and I think it’s called jasmine but I’m not sure as it’s just started to sprouting.  Actually last year I got a mint plant and it grew pretty fast.  Unfortunately, it dried out after I went back to my hometown during the winter vacation.  So anyone want to take care of my plant when I’m away?

Dimas  Dwi Laksmana, Indonesia (BSc  Chemistry, Year 1)

29/8 was a remarkable day for all international peer mentors and mentees. It was not only the day for the newcomers to sightsee around the south of Hong Kong Island but also to experience the heat of the city! The temperature was like 34 degrees and we had our City Exploration outdoor… Though we sweated like mad on that day, we had a really good time and experience.

Our trip started early in the morning. There were too many of us so we have to split into two coaches. The first stop was the Repulse Bay Beach which is famous in the size and cleanliness of the area. However we were kind of too hot to appreciate the beauty of it, but hid in the 7-11 store for the air-conditioning.

The only snap shot taken before we all rushed into the 7-11

 The rest of the trip was a lot better(cooler). We stopped by at the Stanley Bay for a bit of shopping at the marketplace and took a look at the Murray House. Most of us were dehydrated by the heat so we went to the McDonald’s and spent the rest of the time there.

The Murray House

After that we went to the Jumbo Seafood Restaurant for dinner. People were amused by the outlook and the interior design of it. We had some traditional Chinese cuisine. Maybe it was too early for dinner (6pm!) or the international students were not used to Chinese food, we didn’t really eat much. But it was a great time for us to chat with others and know more about each other’s background and culture.

Great picture with the students from Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia

Our last stop was the peak. The timing was good so we had the chance to watch the “A Symphony of Lights” show at the Victoria Harbor. All of us were attracted by the spectacular view. At last we headed back to the campus at around 9.

Indian friends made on that day.

 The semester started and everyone is busy right now. But there are a lot more fun and interesting activities organized by the peer mentors in the future. Stay with us!

 Tommy Lo Lok Man, Hong Kong (Biochemistry, year 3)

International Peer Mentor

                                                                 ~Photos from August 31, 2009

Summer is almost over and students began to arrive with their luggage and excited looks. During the first few days of the orientation, new students were busy doing registration and getting their life settled while the current ones were helping them out to experience the beginning of the UST life.

Lots of outings and events were arranged for getting to know each other. Lots of questions were asked during the sharing sessions and orientations. On August 25, the sharing session with current international students were arranged for the new students. With free pizzas and sodas, students chat over useful tips about how to survive in UST a.k.a University of Stress and Tension.

Students take in the Hong Kong skyline at the Avenue of Stars.

Next day, students meet up at the entrance piazza for Kowloon evening. They were put into groups of 5~7 to walk around to feel the atmosphere of Kowloon. But humidity and hotness eventually made students to gather up in Langham Place for Air Conditioning. More exciting and interesting events will take place before the school starts, and everyone probably will be able to settle their life in UST and get ready for real university life! 

PuReaMe Jang, Korea  (BBA, Year 2)

International Peer Mentor

~Natalie Dee Comics

(Click to view large)

Congrats to Grads of 2009!

WOW! I can’t believe that I have completed my first year of undergraduate studies in HKUST. I’ve got to admit that I’ve gone through way much more than I’ve expected before arrival on last August 2008.^.^ All the activities, the friends, the hall life…and of course the studies as well…everything was pretty much exciting, and I’ve gone through a wonderful year.

Being a first year BBA student, I’ve always wanted to maximize my time available in all events that I’m interested in, apart from studying . A little recap on the memorable events that I’ve participated in…….

In Fall Semester 2008, I am glad to have been involved in a community service project organized by the Rotaract Club of HKUST in collaboration with an NGO, Sowers Action. During the first two weeks of the project, we planned for a fund raising campaign called “Pens for Children” with all volunteers. Our target was to encourage people to donate a pen for the children for every HKD10 contributed. The campaign was a great success as we managed to raise over HKD20,000 (=2,000 pens!) from the UST community in just 3 days. During winter break, I joined the working group arranged by Sowers Action in a trip to visit the primary schools in the mountainous areas of Sichuan. It wasn’t a comfortable journey definitely (as it involves a LOT of travelling), but it was certainly a trip that inspires and is meaningful. Throughout the 7 days of the trip, I visited 5 major regions in Sichuan Province, 10 primary schools, and I’ve met more than 500 children in the schools! I am impressed to see the children studying hard and paying full attention to the teachers in classes. I also remembered the moments when the children were so excited when we gave out candies to them, and we took photos and shared it with them. At a point of time, I actually felt myself as though I’m “Santa”, bringing joy to these kids. Hohoho……I have also experienced the living environment of the villages which are isolated from the rapidly evolving technology and infrastructure. Well, that actually made me felt how lucky I am being brought up in a relatively comfortable and infrastructure-complete environment. At least, I do not need to walk for an hour or so to go to school everyday! Those kids are really wonderful!

Oh, and I actually went sight-seeing after the service trip around Sichuan Province. I went to “HaiLuo Gou” (Conch Gully), which is the biggest glacier park in China located in the Gongga Mountains in Western Sichuan. The place was tremendously beautiful and I had my first time snowing experience here! This is also a great place to dip into the hot springs and hike into the forests for the nice scenery of the glacier.

  The beautiful HaiLuo Gou Glacier~

As for Spring Semester 2009, I was actively involved in the HKUST-Hang Seng Bank Green Ambassador Program. We had several site visits to learn about environment sustainability, global warming as well as energy conservation. As I’m one who’s pretty much interested in environment sustainability, I’m glad to be selected as a trainee of this program as I get to know more people who are share the same enthusiasm as me! Throughout the semester, we have also done several green related projects in campus in groups. I have been involved in the recycling projects and me and my team are glad to have launched several projects to encourage the community to save paper in computer barns, and reduce plastics and Styrofoam usage in food outlets in the campus. In April, we exhibited our projects in the Environment Week, and I’m glad that my team has also won as 1^st Runner Up in the Green Challenge Competition organized by Hang Seng Bank! It was a fun learning experience and I’m glad that I have made impact and created awareness in the community on sustainability.

The Green Ambassadors~

and my fellow friends at a field trip to Hong Kong Wetland Park. We actually cleared the some wild crops in this site =)

Apart from these, I’ve also gone through some other fun events organized by the school and the university. Enjoy this summer everyone! And I believe there’s definitely more to come in my next year of studies. Looking forward to it!! Chao~~

Sherlyn Khor, Malaysia (BBA, Year 2)