Fall 2017

Julia Chan

RMBI, Year 4

Fall 2017

Exchange Report University of Amsterdam College of Economics and Business

Contents

Part I – Monthly Activity Log ........................................................................................................ 2

Part II – General Exchange Information ....................................................................................... 9

Part III – Items to Bring ............................................................................................................... 11

Part IV – Useful Links and Contact ............................................................................................. 11

Part I – Monthly Activity Log

I arrived Schiphol airport, Amsterdam on 25th August morning and missed the pick-up

services provided by University of Amsterdam on 21st and 23rd. As a result, I have to pick up

my dorm key at DUWO office, the company running students dormitory in the Netherland

and complete all administrative procedure by myself.

I spent my first few days in Amsterdam in shopping household products and familiarizing

myself with this city. The DUWO has provided the furniture, cooking utensils, bedding set

and cleaning set, therefore, I had a lot of shopping to do. I stayed in a studio in a new

developed residential area, there are no supermarkets or restaurants around. Therefore, I

did all my shopping in the heart of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Central, where I can basically

get all the stuff I needed.

Amsterdam Central is the heart of the city. There you can see a lot canal cruises, tourist

attractions, museums, the famous red light district and China town.

Fig: Amsterdam Central Station

In Amsterdam, canals are everywhere, it makes route

familiarization even more difficult as there are no

distinctive features for each street, and they are all

surrounded by canals.

Fig: Another canal in Amsterdam

August

September was a busy month, not only was it the start of semester, it also packed with

administrative procedures, e.g. residence permit (MMV) collection, residence registration

(BSN number) and bank account opening. These procedures took me around a month to

complete. Therefore, I spent my September in Amsterdam and went to different museums.

As I was staying in Netherlands for more than 3 months, I was eligible for applying museum

card with unlimited entries to more than 50 museums. Amongst all museums, Rijksmuseum

has the widest collection and it takes me 2 days to finish my tour.

Fig: Rijksmuseum and its collections

September

October was quite relaxed comparing to September. The weather was perfect, breezy and

sunny most of the time. I spent decent amount of time in the Vondelpark, largest city park in

Amsterdam and tried some local cuisine by home cook.

Fig: Vondelpark

As Halloween was approaching, there was a carnival in the Dam Square for the entire

October. My exchange buddy and I took a swing ride at vertical distance 60m, which was a

lot higher than most building in Amsterdam. The view was simply stunning and completely

different from the ground.

Fig: Carnival in the Dam Square

October

After my final exams for block 1, I went to Newcastle in U.K to visit my friend and the Angel

of the North, one of my favorite sculptures in the world. The sculpture is located at a

mountain top and it looks like embracing the city beneath, which is why it is called the

Angel. I also enjoyed a lot of Hong Kong food, like egg tart and satay beef noodles in

Newcastle.

Fig: The Angel of the North

Fig: Hong Kong Street Food at Sunday Market

November was a low season for travelling. Therefore, I went to Germany and Belgium with

my friends. I went to Berlin in Germany and Brussels, Bruges and Antwerp in Belgium. The

trip was not as enjoyable as expected. First of all, there are a lot of scammers and pocket-

pickers at Berlin and Brussels. We carried few cashes and was extra cautious when

traveling to these places. In addition, November in Western Europe was foggy and cold. We

did not have a good view of the city. However, despite all these negative experience, we still

love these countries because of great food, magnificent architectures and flourishing arts.

Fig: East Side Gallery and Brandenburg Gate in Germany

Fig: Berlin Cathedral

November

December was a stressful month, just like HKUST. I had tons of lecture notes to swallow and

essays to submit. Luckily, I had made time to visit the Christmas Market, light festival, Icebar

at Amsterdam and tried local festive foods.

Fig: Light Festival

Fig. Icebar in Amsterdam

December

I spent my entire January travelling around Europe with my friends, as I did not take any

course in block 3. I travelled to Paris in France, Tampere and Helsinki in Finland, Iceland

and last station Hallstatt and Vienna in Austria before I returned to Hong Kong on 28th

January.

Every destination is eye-opening. In Paris, a city with vibrant lifestyle, I enjoyed a lot of

delicious dessert and Asian cuisines that I missed a lot. In Tampere, local people and

pedestrians are so friendly that they greeted us when I got off the train. In Helsinki, I learnt

a lot of history between Finland and Sweden in Suomenlinna and of course took a sip the

famous fish soup in the Old Market. In Iceland, my friend and I joined a 2-days local tour to

the South coast of Iceland. The natural sceneries is spectacular and unforgettable. It is so far

the most stunning views I have seen and totally worth the time and money to go there.

Fig: Eiffel Tower Figs: Iceland

January

Part II – General Exchange Information Visa Procedures After UvA has accepted and confirmed the nomination, they will send you a link to fill in all important information to apply visa and residence permit. After they receive all information, if you are holding HKSAR passport, you will have to send them an authorization letter and application form (will be provided) for the residence permit and long-stay visa. In a month time, they will send you a link to make appointment for the Consulate of the Netherlands in Wai Chai, Hong Kong to submit passport for the visa. Your passport will be returned around 2 weeks. After your arrival in Amsterdam, you will need to get your residence permit (also act as Schengen visa) in UvA. UvA will send you emails to remind you to pick up the residence permit in designated time, usually within the first month of arrival. The residence permit is a very important identity document, you will be asked to show the permit when you travel around Europe. Orientation Activities The ISN Orientation activities started on the 25th August to 30th August. I did not join the activity as I arrived on the 28th. The compulsory orientation started on 1st September. The vice president of university walked through the detailed grading scheme and introduced relevant parties for different issues. International Services & Activities Most international services & activities are held by ISN and the rest are held by locals, usually conduct in Dutch. Accommodations UvA will assign you to 1 of their housing agents and you may book your accommodation online according to your housing preference. Courses Registration UvA will send you a link to do all course de/registration. Exchange students are allowed to take all courses under the exchange students’ categories. The add-drop period for economics and business schools lasts for 1 week and for humanity school is 2 weeks. Teaching & Assessment Methods There are 1 mid-term and 1 final exam for most business courses. UvA uses absolute grading system; the weighted score receive, after converted to scale 1-10, is the actual grade you will get. The minimum passing grade is 5.5, and the score in the final exam must not less than 5. Students scoring less than 5.5 will get a change to re-sit Sports & Recreation Facilities There are gyms in most of the campus. They will charge you a yearly subscription to use the gym. Finance & Banking (including currency / expenses)

The Netherlands use Euro and it is a cashless country, locals usually pay with debit card. Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities There are few networking opportunities if you don’t drink. Health & Safety Amsterdam is a very safe city; however, there are still some pocket-pickers at tourist attractions. The emergency number is 112. Food Amsterdamer loves mashed potato, meat balls and pancakes. There are also good Chinese restaurants for yum cha and Chinese market for selling Chinese food. Transportation Transportation is very convenient in Amsterdam. People either travel with bikes or trams. Climate It is cool and sunny in autumn but super rainy, windy and cold in winter. Communication Almost all Dutch people speak English.

Part III – Items to Bring

Warm Clothes

Shoes / Waterproof Boats

Cashes

Medicines

Hairdryer

Convertor

Router

Identification documents

Address proof in Amsterdam (Housing contract)

Letter of acceptance from UvA

Copies of passport

camera

Hand warmer

Raincoat

Backpack

Part IV – Useful Links and Contact 1. blackboard.uva.nl

2. my.uva.nl

3. 9292.nl/en