【明報專訊】I am a 16-year-old boy from Germany. I have already spent four months in Hong Kong. I can definitely say my exchange year has changed my life. I was shocked when I arrived in Hong Kong. I was so fascinated by the skyscrapers around me. Also, I found it difficult to adapt to Hong Kong's hectic and fast life. People always seemed in a hurry, and the clock seemed to run faster here than in any other place in the world.

My mother comes from South Korea and my father comes from Germany, so I look like an Asian. Local people usually talk to me in Cantonese, and they look confused when I tell them I don't understand what they say. However, the more locals talk to me in Cantonese, the more chances I will have of practising my Cantonese! Cantonese is difficult to learn and I can communicate with my host parents only about some basic things.

Another obstacle to overcome here is food. The local cuisine is very different and kind of special to me. However, I've got used to it quickly. Over the past four months I've already had some interesting food experiences here. For example, I've tried the snake soup and chicken feet. I've even tried something I believe to be ox lung, though until now I am not sure what it was.

At first it was not easy for me to adapt to the Hong Kong learning style. My schoolmates study hard to prepare for the DSE exam. Yet, I like my school. I make many friends, and my schoolmates are generally very nice to me. I'm very happy that my Visual Arts teacher says ''Guten Morgen'' (''Good Morning'' in German) to me every morning. I feel very special.

To conclude, I have learned a lot in Hong Kong. Most important, I've learned to stay strong and show perseverance in hard times. I've learned more about my own personality - my strengths and my weaknesses. I've learned more about Chinese culture and picked up some Cantonese. I am looking forward to learning more in my exchange year here.

text：Siegfried Adelhoefer(an AFS exchange student from Germany)

■To know more about AFS, please visit www.afs.hk