【明報專訊】I am a 16-year-old girl from Germany. My hometown is in northern Germany where a castle and many lakes can be found. Currently, I am a student in Hong Kong and live with my host family in Fanling.
People describe my exchange to Hong Kong as ''going to another world''. I needed time to adapt after my arrival in Hong Kong. It was not easy, but it was a lot of fun. Now, having lived here for four months, I find Germany's culture can be as exotic as Hong Kong's. It sounds quite strange to Hong Kong people to eat sausages made of pig liver with bread that is black in colour.
As for my best experience here, I don't really have an answer. Tiny or ''normal things'' (like wearing my cheongsam school uniform, shopping with my host family in a street market, eating new food like fish balls and egg tarts and mispronouncing Cantonese expressions) may make my experience special.
Hong Kong is a very convenient place because of its good transport system. It is an international city where I can learn much about Chinese traditions as well as many things from other countries. There are different types of restaurants here - Japanese, Thai, Italian and even German ones. In addition, I really think Hong Kong people are very open to new and different things.
Finally, I want to say that what makes Hong Kong totally different from Germany is its city life. People here are always busy - even at night. They have little time for rest. In my opinion, both lifestyles have advantages and disadvantages. I have got used to living in Hong Kong now, but there are still many things to do and see. I don't want to miss them. I am thankful for my experience here and look forward to the coming months.
Text： Michelle Rohla (An AFS exchange student from Germany)
■Please visit www.afs.hk or call 2802 0383 to know more about AFS.
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