Reaping the Harvest from the Grand Tours

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms
trong and content, I travel the open road

Crafted by the prestigious poet Walt WHITMAN, this riveting extract from “Song of the Open Road” portrays the unwavering vigour and valour for adventures, albeit two centuries ago. Travel widens explorers’ perspectives, granting them a new lens to perceive things and their position in the world. Such wisdom remains inexorable among university students nowadays as outbound exchanges play a crucial role in international education. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic shook the world and put travel activities to a halt, let alone student exchanges.

As nations set out to reopen borders and lift the travel restrictions, many intrepid students of CityU’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) seized the opportunity to embark on their own version of grand tours last summer. During July and August 2022, CLASS offered 39 students places to partake in the Cultural and Language Immersion programme, the Overseas Summer Schools programme or Institute for World Literature.

Having studied in a foreign country for weeks, the batch went out of the way to immerse themselves in a new culture and acquire global exposure. Right before the fall semester, they returned home with an armload of fruitful gains. They gathered at the campus to disseminate their eye-opening stories with other fellows in a debriefing forum on 26 August 2022.

Ask any student who went on an outbound exchange, and they would agree that the once-in-a-lifetime experience taught them a lot. What are the changes brought to them exactly? Harking back on every moment in a foreign land, representatives of each programme came forward and summarised the key takeaways from the journey.

The Institute for World Literature (IWL)
Three CLASS students participated in the programme of Harvard University’s IWL at Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany. The four-week programme included seminars, colloquia, plenary lectures by distinguished guest speakers, panel meetings and discussions. Nicola WAN Shun-yu, a PhD student of the Department of English, found the trip rewarding as she took the precious opportunity to speak with Herta MÜLLER, the Nobel Laureate in Literature, during the plenary talk. The in-depth discussion was of insightful ideas, prompting her to refine the thesis.

The Cultural and Language Immersion (CALI) Programme
Among seven students joining the CALI programme at Hertford College, University of Oxford, Steve NG Hao-yuan, a Public and International Affairs student, relished cultural activities like punting. He and his teammates picked up some soft skills, such as communication and problem-solving, from the presentation workshops and the MV filming project. He also aspires to work in Bloomberg in the future after visiting the Bloomberg headquarters in the UK.

Overseas Summer Schools Programme
Other students recounted their inspirational stories in different Overseas Summer Schools at University of Cambridge (UK), University of Sussex (UK), University of British Columbia (Canada), and University of Vienna (Austria). Oreo LI Shun-chi, a Linguistics and Translation (LT) student, described his excitement over fulfilling his dream of studying at University of Cambridge, the world-renowned institution. He embraced the challenge outside his field of study and dabbled in Astronomy, Natural Sciences and Landscape Architecture courses.

Another LT student, Lois POON Tsz-ching, who headed to University of British Columbia, Canada, also used the opportunity to make new friends across the globe. A minor cultural shock for her initially was that small talk with strangers is common among Canadians. She soon got used to it and enjoyed conversing with the locals.

The forum was wrapped up with the closing remarks by Professor Henry CHUNG, Dean of Students of CityU. He exhorted students to pursue lifelong learning beyond academics. The four-week summer programme may be a small portion of one’s university life, but the positive and far-reaching impact will not be undermined. To answer the question earlier, one can warrant that the exchange trips have transformed students into young adults with greater confidence and global vision. As the slideshows looped without ceasing, indelible marks will remain in their youthful memories.