Week 1 in Rennes, Brittany (France)

Bienvenue et Bonjour!

Today marks the end of my first week in France! In honor of my first post about my travel experiences in France, I will give a short summary of the purpose of this semester abroad in Rennes.

I am studying Management Information Systems and International Business at the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. It has always been an important goal of mine to study abroad for a semester in college and this semester it's finally happening! I am the first student from UH Mānoa to study at ESC Rennes School of Business (École Supérieure de Commerce de Rennes) in Rennes, France through the Mānoa International Exchange (MIX) Program. Learn more on my page "ESC Rennes!"

I am one of three Shidler College of Business students who received the substantial $5,000 Johnson Study Abroad Scholarship for 2015-2016. I would like to thank Mr. William Johnson for his support and assistance through the Johnson Scholarship that made my study abroad to France possible. I am honored to have been chosen for this prestigious scholarship and will honor my commitment to Shidler's standards of academic and professional excellency. As a representative of Shidler College of Business, the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, and the United States, I will uphold the values and commitments expected of me. For more information about the Johnson Scholarship, please visit this link.

My first couple of days here in Rennes were rough to say the least. I spent my first night in an AirBNB and the next three nights in a youth hostel called Auberge des Jeunesse de Rennes while I looked for more permanent housing. Other than my housing debacle, I had a great time meeting new people! Keep an eye out for my post about my newfound friends literally from around the world!

Because I arrived a full week early, Orientation Week was filled with finding a place to live, meeting new friends, getting acquainted with Rennes, and taking care of administrative matters like getting a French phone plan and finding the nearest grocery store. Now that I have gotten most of that done, I am excited to start classes tomorrow! Below are some pictures from my first week here in Rennes.

Traveling & Arriving in Rennes

 

Host Family

(pictures coming soon once I finish unpacking!)

Touring Rennes

New International Friends

First group selfie

Alfred (Sweden)

Shanna (China) & Martin (Slovakia)

Taiwanese & American Friends

Amy (Egypt)

4 Colombian Friends & 1 "Panama Jack"

French Cuisine

Baguette, a French staple food

Crêpe au chocolat (not nutella)

Crêpe with ham, cheese, & an egg

Croque Monsieur

Exploring Hong Kong 香港

The TUSA Program is unique in providing multiple resources to learn traditional Chinese through group language classes, one-on-one tutor sessions, cultural classes, and language partners. It also funds and organizes cultural excursions such as our weekend in Taipei and host family stay. The program is two months long with two free weekends that we can use to make our own travel arrangements to wherever we want. So what did my friends and I do with our first free weekend? We flew to Hong Kong of course! 

Note: My family went on vacation to Hong Kong for two days when I was about 9 years old. I loved my time in Hong Kong then but it was a completely different experience years later and traveling with my friends!

First Impressions

~ Immediately upon arrival all of the passengers received welcome packets with loads of free coupons. We went to the "Summer Fun" area to redeem them, each of us receiving different coupons for everything from a 50% off airport shuttle ride to a free 30 minute long "summer makeup" session. Our favorite gift, however, was a yellow duck. "Hong Kong Duck" (its official name) may seem like a childish and boring gift for a bunch of 20-somethings, but we certainly had fun touring Hong Kong with our new friend!

AirBNB

~ My friends and I decided to book an AirBNB for the two nights we were in Hong Kong. It came out to about 26 USD per person for both nights, including free wi-fi, free air conditioning, 5 beds, 1 bathroom, and a small kitchen. The location was perfect because it was a short walk to Starbucks and to the MTR (Hong Kong's subway system). 

MTR (Mass Transit Railway)

~ Taipei and Hong Kong both have incredibly clean subway systems. I didn't see any graffiti anywhere on the trains or in the stations and there wasn't any trash (or gum) littering the floors and walls. Mass transit is definitely the way to go, especially since it's so convenient! Even if you don't understand Chinese, the MTR is very easy to navigate and everything is translated into English or Pinyin (the official phonetic system for transcribing Chinese characters into the Latin alphabet). If you get lost, don't worry because nearly everyone in Hong Kong speaks pretty good English! 

Hittin' the Streets

~ If you enjoy nightlife activities, you should definitely visit Lan Kwai Fong 蘭坊桂 in Central Hong Kong. We met people from all over the world including Austria, Germany, France, Ethiopia, and Somalia! We danced to everything from American pop music to salsa and merengue and ended the night by visiting a hookah bar. 

Note: Drinks in Lan Kwai Fong are pretty expensive ( >10 USD for one shot/drink) and by the time we left the MTR was closed so we had to take a cab.

 HK Custom Tailors

~ We were walking to Starbucks when I noticed a sign for custom tailored suits. My inner-businesswoman prompted me to stop and look at the sign. I read the sign for all of two seconds before I was quickly ushered into the shop and fitted for a custom tailored suit. I ended up purchasing a suit jacket, blouse, a skirt which were all custom-made and ready within 24 hours. Talk about great service! 

 

Victoria Peak 太平山

 ~ Victoria Peak is one of Hong Kong's most popular tourist attractions. It offers incredible views of Victoria Harbour, Central Hong Kong, and Lamma Island.

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 Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade

~ The Promenade is another of Hong Kong's very famous tourist attractions, namely for its beautiful nighttime view of the Hong Kong skyline. Every night at 8pm buildings on both sides of the water put on "A Symphony of Lights" featuring synchronized colored lights, laser beams, and spotlights. Another popular attraction is the Star Ferry which is a short ferry ride across the harbor (about 10 minutes). 

Zàijiàn 再見 (goodbye) Hong Kong

~ Even though we only spent two days in Hong Kong, we made memories to last a lifetime!