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From PTMS to the World

Eunice Yip

EAC Chairlady (2016/2017)

Montréal Trip Overview

Having been in the Junior Reporters Club for years, I have been to different activities,
interviews and programs, but none of the above I’ve been to were comparable to this trip.
The Young Post was in Montréal for a week in June, and I was lucky enough to be there
once again. The trip to Montréal was short but meaningful, as many people took care of
us throughout the trip and my perspectives changed.
I went to Montréal two years ago, visiting my relatives while eating smoked meat and
bagels. If I am to be straight with you, it was the worst experience of my life. To be honest,
I was afraid of Montréal ever since then due to the racism I experienced two years ago,
when a French-speaking person cursed at me and said that Asians should just go home
and not be in Western countries.

It turns out that the visit this time was a very different type of trip from what I did last time – but also, this time people were
incredibly welcoming, The French province of Canada, where most citizens living there speak French as their first language, is
definitely one of the loveliest places you could ever visit. During the 6-day stay in the city, we were able to experience and be in a
diverse culture, the neighbourhood.
We made several visits to different schools including French-based universities UQÁM (Université du Québec à Montréal), HEC
Montréal, and English-based schools McGill University and Concordia University. Although the programme structures are similar to
Hong Kong’s universities, the studying atmosphere and the environment definitely vary. The first difference I noticed is how spacious
the campus is, while Hong Kong is known for its busy and tiny spaces. It was so refreshing and comfortable to stroll around all the
campuses as if I were in a huge park with historical buildings. Another difference is how the schools were built without disturbing
the nature. I was very impressed with the modern HÉC business school building, as it was built on a hill and the school didn’t want
to cut down trees. They wanted the greenery to be visible, so instead they changed the design to make the learning environment
compatible with the nature by designing the walls with whole glass.
Another difference is the studying atmosphere - which is what people always call the “Western and Eastern” difference. In
Asia, students tend to work hard and study hard for good grades, without knowing the reason behind one theory or one incident.
What’s different in the West is that students are eager to know more than what’s in the books, they prefer to do experiments and
figure it out themselves. They value going through the process of finding something out. Also, a lot of students from China that
we’ve talked to told us how different it is studying in Montréal. Xiao Han, a student studying at UQÁM said that the professors tend
to let them think. “If we don’t know what to do, we can go to our professors and seek help. They won’t tell you what to do, but they
will guide you and let you ‘use your brain’.” She also pointed out that in China, the professors would just tell her what to do, and she
would simply follow without thinking.

Apart from education, the environment in the city and the culture are just so different compared to Hong Kong. Montréal is
much more spacious and people are generous with spaces. I wasn’t so used to it when I first arrived there, since you have to walk a
whole kilometer before finding a convenient store, whereas in Hong Kong you might be able to find one right at the bottom of your
building. However, the trips to the store were so pleasant and new to me - the amount of pedestrian spaces, the amount of cars on
the road… The whole living mood is just relaxing compared to Hong Kong. I’m a busy person and I usually get tetchy if I am not able
to work on something, but I was definitely able to find rest and inner peace while dealing with jetlag.
Since it was previously a part of the French province, the culture in Montréal is mixed. People in the city speak French, but
they don’t mind if you don’t know the language and will casually switch to English, which was not the case for me two years ago
(maybe I was that unlucky child who got chosen). This time it was definitely a whole new world to me. Not only were people so
nice to us, they offered us a lot of things. I remember going to a fast food shop called “T” every morning for a breakfast wrap, and
each morning the staff there remembered me. On my last day, I went to grab 20 timbits (small donuts) to take back to Hong Kong,
but they gave me more than double the amount I requested for free. The box was cramped with timbits of different flavours. I
was so surprised because normally in Hong Kong you don’t get such generosity, they just give you the amount you asked for, and
sometimes they give you less.
Joining the Young Post Junior Reporters Club has definitely been a life changing event for me. If it wasn’t for the program, I
don’t think journalism would be the major I am taking in university now. From my first ever “job” interviewing the former Liverpool
footballer John Barnes, to job shadowing Gary Liu, the CEO of the SCMP, this experience has given me the chance to meet friends,
and be inspired. I am no longer a junior anymore, but this opportunity will definitely remain in my memories.

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