Alison Yu travelled to Hong Kong to conduct research for her Master's of Architecture thesis. Supported by an International Experience Award, Alison was able to further her research on place-making in the Hong Kong diaspora. Alison observed public gathering spaces and studied restaurants in Hong Kong to compare her findings to the diaspora in the Greater Toronto Area.
Alison chose to do research in Hong Kong because of its contextual significance to her thesis: "Having never been to Hong Kong before, it was important for me to experience life and community in the city to create a fair understanding of the originating country of the diaspora my thesis was concerned with. Through my research in Hong Kong, I was able to provide much stronger evidence for my case studies and provide site documentation to describe and illustrate the living conditions of Hong Kong."
For Alison, the best part of the experience was being fully immersed in another culture: "This was my first time visiting not only Hong Kong, but any Asian country, and it was my first time experiencing a culture on an immersive scale. As a third generation immigrant, the culture I grew up with was heavily influenced by Canada and the Western media, but to experience Hong Kong where parts of the culture I had grown so accustomed to were much more saturated was an interesting experience overall. My favourite part of the experience was being able to sit in parks and restaurants, sketching for my thesis, and being able to come away from the trip not only with strong documentation, but a tangible keepsake of the entire trip and experience itself."
Alison encourages others seeking international experience to explore experiences outside of academics while travelling internationally: "Though the experience is for academic purposes, remember to take everything in - this experience wasn't only for school, it was an experience that impacted my life outside of school as well. With proper and thorough itinerary planning and budgeting, I was able to ensure that all of my bases were covered - I took the right amount of photos, sketched the right things, made note of all the observations I needed beforehand - so I was actually able to enjoy the trip outside of my academic needs too."
Graduate Student International Experience award funds are available to University of Waterloo graduate students who participate in:
- An academic exchange
- A study term abroad related to research or an academic requirement
- Work or volunteer experience in another country