Manchester, UK (Sept)

• food
• living standard/cost
• people
• university
• surroundings
• entertainment
• services
• weather

Food

• Though I can't eat Chinese food as often as I do in HK, I'm not worried about my meals. Assorted kinds of Cheese, yogurt (much cheaper and different from those in HK in terms of the taste), ice-cream, biscuits (like rich tea), milk, chocolate, chips, cereals, sauces... lots and lots. All of them are my favourite. But I'm afraid you'll find difficulty recognising me in a few months...
• I can't say the food here is very delicious but generally it's okay. Strangely (American) fast food like McDonalds and Kentucky are the food that richer people can afford to eat, a reverse of HK situation. Actually dining out is expensive here.
• A bit miss my favourite, rice with barbecued pork and chicken. A friend of mine said it cost her around 5 pounds to enjoy that delicious rice in the China Town. So, maybe taste it once a month only...

Living standard/cost

• Some items, esp. those imported, like films or batteries are very expensive. But there are also some cheaper items which are worth buying, such as mobile phone. Wintry clothes are also must-buy items, esp. after Christmas

People

• The university is like the United Nation, as you can find a lot of overseas students from all over the world. I was first surprised by the fact that there are a lot of Chinese. Those from the mainland China are the majority and Taiwanese are the second largest group. It seems HK students are just a small group of people...
• Most of the people I meet are very nice. But obviously local British or European students are in a group and Chinese in another, for example (of course there are also different groups among Chinese - people from the mainland China, Taiwanese, HK, etc.)

University

• it seems to try to get every penny out of our purse
• examples: photocopying - around 7p or 8p for every photocopy; 1 pound for every photocopying card without any value, which means you have to get another one-pound coin from your pocket to pay for any photocopies! 5p is the lowest price I have found so far
• Ethernet services at hall - you wanna get access to the internet in your room? No problem, as long as you are willing to pay 100 pounds as the connection fee (no unlimited access!) and more for the time you have used the service
• Computer courses - wanna equip yourself with the most advanced technological skills in software like Word, Powerpoint, SPSS, etc? Well, you've got to pay some quids before you can go into those classes
• Tuition fees - I don't think I need to explain it here, as most of you must have known about the great difference in the school fees between home and overseas students
• Conclusion: MONEY is the best solution to many problems. Though it's not everything and it's a bit exaggerated, you can't live without a penny here!!!

Surroundings

• As my university is just a 15-minute walk away from the city centre, it's very convenient. We don't need to worry about the transport as the university is situated next to one of the busiest roads in the UK (as it claims)

Entertainment

• Going pub/bar is the major entertainment here. Thursday night is the time when lots of activities are held. For me and my friends, shopping at supermarkets like Tesco (in the city centre) is our major entertainment on the weekends. Hopefully I can spend some time travelling around the UK during weekends.
• Definitely I won't miss a chance to watch at least a soccer game at Old Trafford!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Services

• I don't think the services here can be compared with those in HK. The efficiency is much lower.
• Example: I need to go for at least three times in order to get a mobile phone at Vodaphone (hopefully); a friend of mine was very dissatisfied with the services of HSBC which had a wrong address of hers and made mistakes with her cash cards

Weather

• Have you ever noticed in my diary that it rains all the times at Manchester? So, you won't find it difficult to understand why I'm so happy to see the sunshine and feel much happier that day.
• emotional - warm today but very cold next day
• its coldness is a bit different from that of HK; cold breeze with dryness here but HK's with high relative humidity
• sometimes sunny , but it rains a lot since I came here
• difficult for me to choose suitable clothing => T-shirt (inside) + Jacket/blouser (outside)

NOTE: It seems what I talk about Manchester is not good but it doesn't mean I don't like here nor I don't enjoy my life. Actually I am satisfied with my life, happy to know that I can have my own room, and I am enjoying my time here. I wish time could pass more slowly...

This part was last updated on 16th Nov, 2000.

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