Profile: Adriane Lim
LINC Hong Kong Blog
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| Adriane Lim, Business Administration |
Blog 4
March 27, 20009, 11:06 a.m. Los Angeles
My first week back is finally over, unlike my jetlag. You’d think that after going to Asia a few times overcoming jetlag would be a little easier for me, but it isn’t. This week I was full of stress studying for midterms and catching up with spring break assignments I failed to complete while on the trip. And while I’ve been desperately sleep deprived all day - even though I’ve been sleeping at least 7 hours a night during the normal L.A. sleeping hours - I still feel like a zombie walking around campus. Even so, going to Hong Kong with Marshall was totally worth it.
Highlights of the trip? We visited a top private banking and investment company, JP Morgan - a company that helps design and manufacture one of my favorite designers, Silvereed. We also met one of the richest men in Hong Kong, Ronnie Chan, and Hong Kong students our age at HKUST. We had the opportunity to meet and speak with the people who are behind the scenes working to help Hong Kong’s economy thrive by bringing in new businesses like Invest HK and other companies I enjoy supporting every time I visit. I learned so much from every company visit. Yet, even with the incredible line-up of companies, I would have to say that the greatest highlight of the trip - and I’m going to be incredibly cheesy here – were the friends I made on the trip. I don’t think I would have had as good of an experience without the group of friends I made here. In the beginning of the semester, when the group of LINC students from last year came to share about their experiences, they said we’d make really close friends while on the trip. And I didn’t believe them. But in the end, they were right. I met and became friends with people I probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to talk to before.
From visiting businesses to different dessert shops, this trip to Hong Kong made me appreciate it on a whole new level. Even though I’ve been to Hong Kong several times before, it was a totally different experience and it has encouraged me to go on an EXCEL trip next year and perhaps even study abroad. I definitely recommend participation in this LINC program to future freshmen. This was the best spring break experience everrr.
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Blog 3
March 20, 2009
It’s nearing the end of the trip, and I am dead tired! After attending business meetings during the day and walking around Hong Kong at night, I’ve been falling asleep every night as soon as I hit the bed. But even though I’ve been tired, I’ve loved every minute here.
Today, we went to Shenzhen in Mainland China to visit BYD Auto and the Yantian International Container Terminal. The difference between Mainland China and Hong Kong was clearly visible. It was a little less developed and a lot less Westernized; there was no English to be found, whereas in Hong Kong there was almost always English written at the bottom. Although Shenzhen is so close to Hong Kong, Mandarin was spoken, which threw me off since I speak Cantonese.
At BYD Auto, we were shown different models of their energy efficient, electric vehicles and the process of producing and manufacturing the cars. At the Yantian Container Terminal, we learned about those giant, colorful boxes we saw by the ocean. In order for more efficient transportation of products, they are put into different containers instead of individually moving each item. What sets Tianjin apart from other containers is that it is a free port with efficiency in transporting goods. However, since the economy has been slow their competitive edge of efficiency has not been helping them.
Yesterday was one of my favorite days in Hong Kong. We got a tour of the HKUST campus and worked with students on a case study of Ocean Park. It was exciting to talk to people our age and interesting to learn about their views and the ways in which they approached cases. After presenting the case studies, we traveled back to Ocean Park to meet with the CEO Tom Mehrmann who shared his strategy for the theme park. Some of the ideas we came up with during our meeting with the UST students matched his plan for Ocean Park.
My friends and I finished the night with dinner at Crystal Jade; their specialties are “la mian” and “xiao long bao,” which are noodles and a special dumpling with soup inside. Later on, we had dessert at Honeymoon Desserts, which was a real treat. There is nowhere in California that has as good mochi or turtle shell jelly. Mmmm.
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Blog 2
3/16/09 11:45 pm Hong Kong
Today was our third day in Hong Kong, and I’m already starting to feel tired! The feeling of being in Hong Kong is exhilarating for me, since it’s one of my favorite places in the world. We landed Sunday morning around 9 am after a very long thirteen-hour flight and explored until the MTR Subways were about to close around 11:30 pm. Going through the night markets on Temple Street at Yao Ma Tei (油马地) was a new experience for me since I had never gone out at night before. The street was so colorful and brightly lit and lined with vendors selling a variety of knick-knacks.
Our very first meeting yesterday was with JP Morgan’s Executive Director, analysts and a JP Morgan associate. We first had a briefing meeting with the Executive Director, Joyce Chan; she described the company’s goals and purpose and its solid success during this time of recession. She explained that the company’s success was based on its system as a bank, as opposed to Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, which are broker firm franchises. As an investment bank, JP Morgan is the most conservative in its field, which greatly contributes to its success. Afterwards, there was a panel discussion/Q&A with the analysts and associate, which was really interesting since they were only a few years older than us. It’s so scary to think that in a few years, we could be in their situation! That is, if I make it to that level. JP Morgan is so competitive to get into; even getting them to manage your funds is difficult since they only accept clients with $25 million and above. Listening to the panel discussion, I learned a lot - from their day-to-day experiences, to their journey to the top and their “secrets to success.” It opened my eyes to the cutthroat competitiveness of the business world.
After breakfast today, we were dropped off at Ocean Park, one of two theme parks in Hong Kong, the other being Disneyland. Ocean Park was like a combination of Sea World and Disneyland with an entertainment and environmental education emphasis. We were given a scavenger hunt type assignment, telling us to take pictures with the various Ocean Park characters and to visit certain attractions. Since the park was under construction for expansion, we weren’t able to go on every ride, but it was still pretty fun despite the heat and long walks. In two days, we’ll get to meet with the CEO and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology students to work on an Ocean Park case study. I can’t wait!
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Blog 1
March 6, 2009, 2:05am, Los Angeles
Well, it is 2:05 am and I can’t sleep. I don’t know why, but I just can’t. And now that I’m thinking about it, around this time next week, I won’t be able to sleep either. But that will be because I’ll be too excited to fall asleep in anticipation for the flight to Hong Kong. Ever since hearing about LINC during Welcome Week and finding out that one of the destinations was Hong Kong, I just knew I had to go; especially since it has been my dream to intern or work there for a few years.
At first, seven weeks seemed like a long time to wait for the Hong Kong trip, but now that it’s almost here, I feel like time flew by quickly. In preparation for the trip, we had specific LINC classes for each different country. Speakers came to share with us their experiences, insight and knowledge about Hong Kong and world business each week. To help us be more culturally aware, the professors taught us about Chinese culture and etiquette. Even though I am Chinese, I still learned a lot. I had no idea there was a certain way to exchange business cards or that it was that complicated! We also spent a class in the Experimental Learning Center (ELC) playing card games that reminded us to be open minded and culturally aware when traveling to a new country. Another guest spoke to the whole LINC class about counterfeit products, modern day slavery and the effects on the people involved, the world and the economy. Most interesting for me was learning about the experiences of an Ex-Pat who worked in Hong Kong, especially since it has been my dream to work there.
Even though I have midterms coming up before the trip and right after, I still can’t wait for next week to come. I’ve already started to make lists of things to pack, things to buy when I get there and places I want to see during my free time. Although I have traveled to Hong Kong before, I only went as a tourist and to visit relatives with my parents, never to visit businesses. I am so excited to be back in the city, eat Hong Kong food, go shopping and explore a whole different side of Hong Kong.
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