Travelling Makes You a Traveller

For many students who participate in Education Abroad programs, it's the love of travel which leads to applying for an exchange semester, but Berton Quon experienced the reverse. Quon's somewhat spontaneous decision to spend his Fall 2014 semester studying at the Chinese University of Hong Kong has, he says, encouraged a strong desire to see more of the world.

Quon, a fourth year Kinesiology student, explains that, aside from a few family vacations, he had never been particularly keen on travel. As late as the beginning of his third year, an international exchange was not something he envisioned as part of his degree. Encouraged by the example of his more adventurous siblings, however, helped change his mind.

"I had siblings who applied to do exchange-type things, like teaching English overseas, or I have a brother who went on this two-week cultural exchange…So after that, I was kind of like, well if my siblings can do it, why can't I?"

Although Quon initially thought that a spring or summer program might make for an easier introduction to life abroad, course offerings for the fall semester seemed more appealing and pushed him towards choosing to spend a full semester in Hong Kong. Ultimately, Quon ended up wishing he had been able to stay on for another semester before being pulled home by degree requirements.

"My biggest regret is not going earlier (in my degree), as opposed to in my fourth year. I wish I had gone in my second or third year. I wish I had gone in my second or third year 'cause I would have liked to stay longer."

Quon did manage to make the most of the time he did spend in Hong Kong, taking in a high-level badminton tournament, participating in English conversation dinners to help Hong Kong students improve their language skills, attending a concert by a popular Taiwanese musical act and travelling to Taiwan, Japan and Korea.

Travelling to Japan with a group in which no-one spoke Japanese was one of Quon's more memorable exchange experiences. While trying to communicate across a language barrier was challenging, he was surprised at people's eagerness to be helpful and to try and communicate however they could.

Beyond an increased appreciation of people's capacity for kindness to strangers, Quon's time abroad, he says, was also a great opportunity to discover new interests.

"I know it sounds super cheesy, but especially when you're put in an environment you're not familiar with, it really challenges you to do new things… Like, usually, I would never do something that impulsive like just planning a flight to Taiwan or a flight to wherever."

Meeting and talking to other exchange students was also an eye-opening experience. Quon was fascinated by the subtle cultural differences he found even with students from seemingly similar countries to Canada like the US and Australia. He also emphasizes the excitement of spending time with people who all shared an open mindset.

"You get a chance to meet all these people who think a lot like you, like a lot of these kids are the type who want to try new things and see new things."

Now, as Quon finishes his degree and graduates, he can carry with him a new set of ideas and interests and a new love of exploring.

"Travelling…was not much my thing, until I tried more of it."