Copenhagen Business School, Denmark (Year 2022, Summer)
SA-TAU gives me a new mindset for future challenges and grants me a broader vision of seeking opportunities.
It is my honour to be able to study and immerse myself in Israel. The fact that Israel manages to survive with limited resources urges me to reflect on myself. I grew up in H.K. where I embraced the value of seeking stability and avoiding risk-taking regarding career planning. However, I have never truly felt satisfied. Partially this is because I obtained limited satisfaction from this achievement. However, more importantly, I think I have not created any value for society but only recognition on paper. The experience in Israel prompted me to imagine how I would live if I were an Israeli living in a country exposed to potential wars and conflicts daily and having limited resources. Would I be more closed up and rigid, or more open to possibilities? I realise how fortunate I am to live in Hong Kong, an international city full of opportunities, and that I shall not limit myself to social norms and values.
SA-TAU made me a better person with diverse specialities.
SA-TAU is a precious experience to learn from the business and cultural side. It has had an impactful change in my mindset. When I was in Israel and learning about entrepreneurship, the environment of mixing cultures provided a better basis for me to build. I learned put myself in others' shoes and improve in every aspect rather than focusing on my own. Besides, the financial skills I learned enabled me to plan and be cautious. It made my presentation skills perfect with the support of the number. All of these made me a better person with diverse specialities, able to handle things independently, and courageous to try out different new things in the coming future.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to cultural differences.
Living overseas for 6 weeks allowed me to become more independent, and I learned to solve problems alone rather than relying on others.
Moreover, I became more able to get along with people from diverse backgrounds. I realised that as people from other countries grow up differently, they think differently, which might result in misunderstandings or conflicts. I think the most important thing to deal with this problem is respect. There is no right or wrong when it comes to cultural differences.
Also, I admire the artwork in Denmark very much. The art museum in Denmark was enlightening. I discovered that Denish people are creative and innovative. They love to express their thoughts and ideas via an art piece with a large room of imagination for the audience, which I found impressive. Also, they are good at integrating technology with art, creating many unique interactive art exhibitions with VR and AR technology.
Remark: Carol demonstrated good improvement in her intercultural competency upon return. She scored over 12 points higher in her post-programme IDI test within 6-week time.
