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DRAGON LO FS2021/22 THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
My name is Lo Koon Kit Dragon. I am a penultimate year undergraduate law student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. I have been studying in Durham University as an exchange student for six months, and very soon I will be leaving the UK, the place I have started falling in love with. Coming to the UK has been one of the best decisions I have ever made because I had never been to the UK and this experience allows me to open my eyes. Going on a year abroad, I am surprised to see how welcoming and open students are in the UK. I am surrounded by students of different ethnicities and nationalities, so I was able to make a great lot of lifelong friends from diverse backgrounds. It is great to have insights into different cultures and I consider those friends I met while on exchange as my closest ones. This made homesickness less of an issue. Similar to CUHK, Durham University is a collegiate university with 17 colleges. It provides me with different opportunities to participate in a wide range of sports and activities at college level, just like joining a big family with a strong sense of community. I remember moving into my dormitory in Van Mildert College like it was yesterday. Thankfully, my room is very cozy and spacious with a magnificent view of a pleasant lake, and I can always see many wildlife including squirrels and ducks outside my room. Van Mildert College organizes many massive events for students including formal dinners, College Christmas and Bops which is an informal session of dancing to pop music, where students also take the stage to perform. The event transformed the college into a massive themed-party with drinks, decorations and entertainment. These events provided me with an unrivaled experience outside my study and made the college a social hub. My college also has the largest dining hall in Durham and it is fully-catered. The most memorable event in Durham is the Lumiere Festival. It was a mega outdoor event with artwork, shows and light exhibitions. The highlight of the festival was a lightshow projected onto the exterior of Durham Cathedral accompanied by orchestral music. There was also extraordinary artwork made by LED bulbs, and it was spectacular to see hundreds of moving and illuminating figures in the historic city. The city was packed and bustling with visitors, the atmosphere was truly magical, and it was wonderful to see so many people out on the streets enjoying themselves. Despite the on-going pandemic, almost all of my classes are in person so I have got a chance to interact with other students. The lecturers and professors made lessons enjoyable. I cannot imagine any other place where my academic knowledge could have been enhanced in such an exciting way. The thing I love most is the opportunity to travel to so many different amazing places. If you have got the spirit for adventure, you will be sure to love a year abroad. I arranged several weeks in different cities during the Christmas break like Cambridge, London, York and Edinburgh. It was a great opportunity that changed my worldview and gave me an international outlook. This enriching experience prepares me for life in a global society. So far, I am so glad to have chosen to do a year abroad as I have really enjoyed myself here! Going abroad to study is an amazing experience which I will cherish throughout my life. I am grateful for the opportunity and will remember it forever. It is really a lifechanging chapter and I know I will take any chance to come back to the UK.
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My life has been tremendously transformed thanks to the scholarship awarded by the Victor and William Fund Foundation. It provided me with immense support so that I can have the wonderful opportunity to learn, to grow and to broaden my horizon. If you are wondering whether to sign up for an exchange, take the leap! If you wish to learn more about my exchange experience, please my blog: www.dragonlo.com.
I travelled to York I travelled to Edinburgh I travelled to London
My friends and I at college bar My friends and I drinking at Lumiere
My best friends in Durham 17
My days in Durham
The view from my room
