Content. Monthly Activity Log. General Exchange Information. To-Bring list EDHEC BUSINESS SCHOOL (LILLE) CHAN YAT YEAR 3 BBA (MARKETING & MANAGEMENT)

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1 Content Monthly Activity Log General Exchange Information To-Bring list EDHEC BUSINESS SCHOOL (LILLE) CHAN YAT YEAR 3 BBA (MARKETING & MANAGEMENT) SPRING 2018

2 Monthly Activity Log December (Mannheim, Heidelberg, Berlin, Paris) My first stop in Europe was Germany. I went there to reach my friend, an exchange student studying in Mannheim in the last semester. We spent some time partying in Mannheim and travelled to Heidelberg and Berlin for Christmas. The Christmas markets in Germany are spectacular and definitely worth visiting for some mulled wine and sausages. I kept a wine mug at 2 Euros as a little souvenir. Berliner Dom Pork Knuckles at Hofbräu, Berlin

3 Then, we went Paris for the New Year. The atmosphere at the countdown at Champ-Elysees Street (near Arc de Triomphe) was wonderful. The street was crowded with people and snack trucks. However, we (I blame my friend for that actually) decided to switch to Tower Eiffel at the last minute and it was a terrible idea. Turned out there were few people and almost no celebration So keep this in mind in case anyone will make the same mistake. Arc De Triomphe at Countdown January (Brussels, Amsterdam) We arrived at Lille at early January and settled in my dormitory. There were almost no lessons until the end of January. I spent a few days dealing with stuffs like sim card and bank accounts. In the meantime, I went Brussels, but it turned out to be quite boring.

4 We also visited Amsterdam. The city is notorious of prostitution and marijuana. You can smell cannabis every other street. Despite that, the streets are actually very safe and we didn t encounter any crime activities. It was a beautiful city and the food in Saturday market is amazing. Poffertjes, Mini Pancakes that taste like heaven Amsterdam

5 February (Manchester, London) February is a bit busy comparing to January, but the workload is still close to nothing comparing to HKUST. I assume no one is interested in my courses anyway. I visited the Old Trafford (stadium of Manchester United) to watch Manchester United playing against Chelsea. Despite I am not a great football fan, it was a wonderful experience. I watched the match in the VIP box and had my lunch there. The food was fine and unlimited alcohol was served. The service was very good. Inner view of the VIP Box, Old Trafford

6 After Manchester, I went London for a short visit. It somehow looks like Hong Kong. The Chinese food in London China Town is among the bests in Europe, I recommend the restaurant Four Seasons in China town for authentic Cantonese food. March (Bruges) School started to get busier in March. I still managed to take a short trip to Bruges, Belgium during the free time. It was quite a beautiful small town. We spent one day there and it was pretty enough to see everything. Bruges

7 April (Barcelona, Madrid, Venice, Florence, Rome, London, Paris) From late March to early April there was a two-week Easter holiday before the exams. I visited Barcelona and Madrid. This was one of the best trips I had in Europe. The seafood and the food market are amazing. There are also many wonderful architectures that worth a visit. The only concern is that the additional tourist taxes and entry fees of attractions made the trip quite costly. Toledo, Spain Paella, Barcelona San Miguel Market, Madrid

8 In late April my sister came to Europe. Fortunately, my dormitory had enough space and an extra bed for a visitor to stay. I skipped a few lessons and had a long trip with her. We visited Italy and went all the way from Venice to Florence and then Rome. Italy was beautiful but a bit below my expectation. Streets were dirty and under-developed, a bit similar to China in the past decade. The Burano Island near Venice has those colorful little houses, a perfect place for stunning photos. Burano, Venice

9 The food in Italy is reasonably priced and generally tasty. I didn t have any particularly bad experiences about food in Italy. Venice, Italy

10 Then, we went up to London. One of the most remarkable experiences we had is watching the musical Phantom of the Opera. We spent around 90 Pound per person for front seats and it was definitely worth it. From the front seat we could see the live orchestra playing the instrumental music under the stage, which was much more delicate than digital Her Majesty's Theatre, London version. We also had amazing steaks at Maze by Gordon Ramsay, a nice and classy British High Tea at Fortnum & Mason, and a delicious meal at the Borough market. We also went up the Shard, the tallest building in London, to have a drink under the view of the whole London. Afternoon High Tea, Fortnum & Mason, London

11 Fishworks, London The Shard, London

12 Tower bridge, London (Credit to IPhone 8) London Eye, London

13 Paris was our final stop, we did some shopping and tried some nice food. Grilled Seafood Platter, Pedra Alta, Paris Foie Gras Ravioli, Le Comptoir De la Gastronomie, Paris Escargots with Parsley Garlic Butter, L'escargot Montorgueil, Paris Confit de Canard, Paris

14 May (Geneva, Bern, Interlaken, Mountain Jungfrau, Grindelwald, Zurich) Exam period was in mid May. After exam I visited Switzerland, the most beautiful place I have ever been. We went all the way from Geneva, Bern, Interlaken, Mountain Jungfrau, Grindelwald up to Zurich. The view is stunning. Mountain Jungfrau was a must-go despite being a bit pricy. We spent a nice afternoon in a boat trip in Interlaken. I also tried paragliding in Grindelwald and it was really a fun, once in a life time experience. Jungfrau Joch, Switzerland Interlaken, Switzerland

15 Switzerland s currency is CHF, not Euro. However, credit card can be used almost everywhere to pay by Euro and I didn t have to take too much CHF with me. Switzerland is wonderful but also expensive. I spent around 13K HKD in total (accommodation included) for 8 days. Jungfrau Joch, Switzerland Bern, Switzerland

16 June (Guildford, Brighton, Bicester Village, London, Paris) My flight back to Hong Kong was from Gatwick Airport, London in late June. UK was the final stop of my exchange journey. I visited my friends in Guildford and went Brighton, Bicester Village, and London once again. All my friends from Hong Kong flied back before mid June. Tuna Tartare, Beef Wellington and Roasted Cod Heddon Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay, London

17 General Exchange Information Visa Procedures To study in France, Hong Kong students would need to apply for a Study Visa. The application includes two parts, an academic interview at Campus France and the actual visa application in General Consulate of France. The academic interview is compulsory for the application. Student must book online for document submission for application and then send another to Campus France to book for the interview. The Visa takes at least 2 weeks to prepare. It is recommended to prepare at least one month in advance. Orientation Activities Before the official start of the semester, the international student office in EDHEC would hold some orientation activities for international students to know one another. There will also be a presentation prepared by the office for an overview of the school in terms of academy, recreation, facilities, etc. In the following days, there will also be support for students concerning bank accounts and insurance. International Services & Activities For common exchange student problems, the International Student Office would be there to give advices. Also, a student association called Open Up would be holding a series of activities for exchange students, including a pub crawl, short trips, movie nights, and farewell parties. Accommodations There are a few choices of accommodations near EDHEC. EDHEC does not provide accommodation itself. For on-campus accommodation, students would need to contact Sergic Residence. Sergic also provides a few other options near EDHEC. For me, I lived in a off-campus residence, 15 minutes walk to EDHEC.

18 There are two kinds of rooms, kot and studio. For a kot, students would have their own single bedrooms with private toilets, while the kitchen would be shared by 8 people. The rent was around 440 Euro per month. On the other hand, the studio would be slightly bigger than the kot room with an open kitchen and wardrobe. The rent was 490 Euro per month. I chose to live in a studio. Sharing kitchen could be troublesome since other foreign students might not wash their dishes and just leave them in the sink instead. From my observation, the public kitchens (of my friends kot) usually had a very bad hygiene condition with flies everywhere and the sink was usually blocked. Other residents might also use others plates and grab others food/seasoning. Courses Registration There is no add/drop period in EDHEC like HKUST. All the procedures would be finished while students are still in Hong Kong. Exchange students would receive the course list provided by EDHEC. Students would need to hand in your learning agreement to the school after the approval of UST exchange office one to two months before the exchange. EDHEC would then register the courses for the exchange students. Teaching & Assessment Methods Attendance is compulsory for all courses. After the first two absences, each absence would deduct 2 marks from overall grade (total 20 marks). Teaching notes can be found on BlackBoard, an online platform similar to Canvas. Usually no textbook is needed. One interesting thing is that the timetable varies every week and there are no fixed classrooms for particular courses. It is therefore important to check the schedule every week in order not to miss a lecture. Sports & Recreation Facilities There is a whole Sports building in EDHEC, opening from 8am to 11pm from Monday to Friday, and closes at 8pm at weekends. There is a big court for basketball/badminton, one squash court, one swimming pool, one dance room, one Dojo and a gym. Rackets can be borrowed at the school reception desk but students would need to buy the badminton/squash ball

19 themselves. However, the gym facilities are certainly lacking. There are no dumbbells or barbells at all, only several cable machines and a few treadmills/ bicycle/ rowing machines. There is also no air conditioning in the gym. Drinking water fountains are available. To get into the gym students would need to make an online reservation on Deciplus (EDHEC sports reservation system) and bring their student ID. The gym is most crowded in the afternoon. At night there are fewer people and most of them are Asian students. Only one to two students would stay till 11pm. After 11pm the security may come anytime to get us leaving. In the main building there are two pianos and a relaxing zone with snookers, a game machine, a pillow area and TVs. It is usually crowded with people at daytime. Personally, I like to workout at gym till 11pm and then play the piano when there are no people around till very late at night. Finance & Banking (including currency / expenses) Excluding travel expense, my monthly living expense in Lille is around 900 Euro, including 490 Euro rent and another 400 Euro for food. There are several banks in France. In my semester, BNP Paribus organized an event in the start of the semester for exchange Living Expense $5000*6 months Accommodation $5000*6 months Travelling Expense $70000 Plane tickets $7000 Total $ students to open their bank accounts. A debit card would be issued. However, the card did not work when I was booking plane/bus tickets or Airbnb sometimes. It is recommended to always have another credit card with you in Europe. In Lille, you can take Euro from local ATM of certain banks in UnionPay with your overseas UnionPay card. The administration fee is around 15HKD per transaction. Banks in Lille with UnionPay include Caisse d Epargne and Societe Generale. In EDHEC there is one ATM of SG bank. I prefer Caisse d Epargne since there is a much higher withdrawal limit comparing to SG (max. 450 euro each time).

20 Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities There are a few sports clubs that exchange students could join. The class booking schedule of Dojo in Sports Building can be found on Deciplus. Walk-in is welcomed in some classes including sailing, kickboxing and US boxing. I have met many Asian exchange students in the popular kickboxing class. Most of them are beginners. No prior knowledge about martial arts is needed to enjoy the class. A student society, the Open Up, would also hold some events regularly for exchange students networking. There were movie nights, pub crawls, farewell parties and also short trips. Last semester they held two short trips of 1 to 2 days, going Belgium and Germany respectively. Students can also join the EDHEC Facebook groups for more public events held in Lille. Health & Safety Health insurance is compulsory in France. Students need to pay for the insurance before they arrive in France through the school platform. I didn t get sick throughout the exchange. EDHEC can introduce students to local doctors who speak English. There is also a pharmacy near EDHEC for some counter drugs. France is known to have a high crime rate. Croix, where EDHEC is located, is one of the richest areas in France. It is quite safe. On the contrary, next to Croix is Roubaix, one of the poorest regions. I have encountered Gipsy pickpockets once in Roubaix, but that was the only experience I had in Europe related to crimes. Despite being a very safe region, Croix after dark can be dangerous too. Students are recommended to avoid going out alone at late night, especially girls.

21 Food There are a few school canteens and cafes in EDHEC serving lunch, dinner, sandwiches and coffee. Lunch sets are priced from 5 to 10 Euros at the canteen. There is also a more decent restaurant in the school with higher price. There are not many restaurants around EDHEC. Students would need to go Lille or Roubaix for more choices. There are a few good restaurants in Euralille, the shopping mall in Lille. There is a steakhouse serving really decent steaks and a Thai restaurant that provides worthy meal sets. For traditional French cuisine, I recommend Estaminet Au Vieux de la Vieille and Le Barbier qui fume in Lille. There are also a few cheap all-you-can-eat Chinese restaurants in Lille for nostalgic students. Moreover, there was a surprising small shop selling Hong Kong egg waffles served with ice cream. The name is Waiffle.

22 Cooking at dormitory is necessary to save some money. I usually went Roubaix for the grocery. There is an Asian supermarket in Roubaix called Paris store. The store sells fresh meat in Chinese style cuts, like pork ribs, beef brisket, tendons and also animal organs. They even sell Siu Mei like BBQ Pork and Roasted Duck. Also, they sell a large variety of vegetables and all kinds of spices like Thai basil, scallions, mint, etc. If you want to cook Asian dishes you can always find the ingredients you need. I once cooked a Tom Yam soup with my friends, with ingredients all from Paris store. On the other hand, other supermarkets like Carrefour and Casino also provides grocery. There is a Casino near EDHEC but it is super expensive. For reasonably priced grocery you would need to go to the Casino in Roubaix or Carrefour/Aldi. French bakeries are a must-visit. You can find two bakeries near EDHEC. Both have really good baguettes and croissants. However, the best bakery in town for me is La Florentine, which requires 20 minutes walk from EDHEC. It is certainly worth the time if you also visit the nearby Carrefour for extremely cheap grocery. Transportation Students are expected to be walking a lot in France since the transportation system is not as convenient as in Hong Kong. To go to the city centre you would need to take the tram or the metro. However, it already takes 15 minutes to walk to the Tram station from EDHEC. The fare is not cheap either. One single trip would cost 1.6 Euro, with a slight discount if you buy a set of 10 tickets at a time. The tram travels from Lille to Croix and then Roubaix. The metro is a little faster and have more routes to different stations. If you are caught on Tram/Metro for not buying a ticket, you will be charged 50 Euros. During the whole exchange, I was caught once on Tram in the Lille Flandres Station (City Centre). It is almost impossible to sneak away since there will be staffs blocking the platform exit. My friend also got caught once in a station between Lille and Croix. However, I dodged the fare from Croix

23 to Roubaix every week and have never seen staffs checking tickets. Disclaimer: I never encourage any act of fare-evading. I am only sharing my personal experience. Climate Lille has a really different climate from Hong Kong. In winter the temperature can drop down to -10 degree Celsius. Daytime is short. The sun sets at around 5pm. It does not make a difference though, since it is always cloudy and you can almost never see the sun. Fortunately, heaters are installed almost everywhere in France. On the other hand, summer daytime extends to around 9:30 pm. The temperature grows to 2x degree Celsius in June. Air-conditioning is not popular in France. Many dormitories including mine do not have air-conditioners. Communication French people do not like speaking English. English with a French accent can also be hard to follow at the beginning. Some restaurant do not have English menu as well. French course is available in EDHEC but it may be a bit difficult for Asian background students to catch up with the European students. Still, French people are generally friendly and willing to help others in need. Language barrier will not be a very big problem. Cautionary measures Europe is a dangerous place. Keep an eye on your personal belongings and avoid going out late alone at night. The night clubs in Lille are healthier than those in Hong Kong but always be careful and never go alone. Keep copies of your passport and VISA on your phone and Google drive since you may need them in unexpected times.

24 Items to bring: Passport/Visa/HKID Credit card/bank card Laptop Clothes Adapters Plug board Phone chargers Counter drugs Skincare products Formal suit for Skype interviews

25 Useful Links Aurion (SIS) Blackboard (Canvas) Deciplus (Sports Reservation) GoEuro (For Travel) If you want more information from me, feel free to get my contact from SBM Exchange Team by ing at