University of Manitoba Fall 2019 Exchange Report Lok Chun Fung ECOF (Year 3) Monthly Activities Log September After adapting the time difference and meeting some new friends, I travelled around the city of Winnipeg during the first month of exchange while the weather was still nice and warm. The first place I visited was the Legislative Building of Manitoba, Golden Boy. There was a festival called Manyfest holding at there with more than 60 food trucks selling mouth- watering snacks. Assiniboine Zoo was another place I went because it will be closed after mid-October due to the extreme cold weather. There were many animals that are seldom seen in Hong Kong, including bison and polar bears. There were also lots of orientation activities held by AIMS which allow us to get to know more about life in Winnipeg and meet more local friends. A buddy was also assigned to all exchange students who was very helpful in assisting us to settle down. October After some assignments and mid-terms, I travelled to Toronto during the Thanksgiving weekend. The highlight of this trip was watching the NBA game and visiting the Niagara Falls. It was my first time watching a live NBA game and the atmosphere was superb as the fans kept chanting throughout the game. For the Niagara Falls, it was disappointing that the weather was not good on the day I visited there. Even though it was slightly raining, the falls were still impressive when I walked to the path behind the falls. Other places in Toronto were also worth a visit, including the CN Tower and Ripley’s Aquarium. November The study break came at mid-November which gave me a great opportunity to travel again. I went to Calgary and Banff National Park which is famous for its stunning natural scenery. I joined a 4 days local tour that drove me to several famous sightseeing spots, such as Lake Louise and the Banff downtown. Since it was already nearly -20 degree Celsius at that time, the mountains were full of snow and the lakes were all frozen that I could walk on them. There were many small shops along the main street of the Banff downtown. Most of them were selling interesting souvenirs which were worth walking into. December This was the last month on my exchange and final exam came this month too. Since I registered some online courses and those courses provided the exam questions early in November, the workload of revision was not very demanding. Apart from handling the final exams, I joined another local tour and went to Yellowknive for watching aurora as well. The weather there was extremely cold with apparent temperature nearly -50 degree Celsius. However, I was super lucky that I saw aurora during all 3 nights I stayed there. General Exchange Information Visa Procedures If you are holding a HKSAR passport, you are not required to apply for a visa for staying less than 180 days in Canada. Instead, an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) is required which can be applied easily Orientation Activities UofM offers a buddy program which assign all exchange students a local student as a buddy. The buddy will contact you before you arrive Winnipeg and try to pick you up at the airport. You can ask him for help whenever you encounter any problem. There was an orientation week during the first week of school as well. Different events were held throughout the week which allowed us to know about each other and make some friend. International Service & Activities AIMS provided various services you may need when you arrive Winnipeg, including the buddy program mentioned above, organising activities for exchange students and even selling daily necessities at low prices. Accommodations There are 4 residence buildings at UofM, which are UCR, AVM, Pembina and Mary Speechly. AVM and Pembina are new and clean compared with the other two but are also more expensive. UCR is the oldest and it is quite far away from the other 3 residence. I lived in a double room in Mary Speechly which I think it is similar to a hall in HKUST. I also bought the meal plan so that I can enjoy the meals at the canteen located at Pembina Hall. Course Registration The exchange coordinator will handle everything about course registration. You just need to fill in the registration form to let her know what courses you would like to enroll in. Teaching & Assessment Methods The teaching method is similar to Hong Kong while the class size is smaller for business school lectures. Most courses have various assignments and exams. Class participation is also assessed for some classes. There are also some online courses which can be done totally online. Sports & Recreation Facilities There are lots of sports facilities at the Active Learning Centre, such as gym, swimming pool and basketball courts. You need to pay extra fee of about $100 CAD to get access to these facilities. Finance & Banking (including currency / expenses) The main currency using in Winnipeg is Canadian Dollars. I didn’t open a bank account in Canada and mainly used cash and sometimes credit card for daily transactions. There are ATMs in campus and you can get cash from them using Union Pay. If you want to avoid the transaction fee, you can open a bank account instead. Social Clubs and Networking Opportunities As mentioned above, AIMS will organise many different activities that allow both exchange and local students to connect with each other. For example, there was a pumpkin carving event during Halloween. Health and Safety You should bring your own medicine to Winnipeg because exchange students do not have free health service on campus although the fee and be claimed back through insurance. It is not suggested to stay in downtown late at night because there are homeless or drunk people straying around which might be very dangerous. Food I purchased the 10 meals per week meal plan so that I usually have my lunch and dinner at the canteen at Pembina Hall. There are also 15 meals per week plan and unlimited plan. Apart from the canteen, you can also go to the food court at University Centre or go Pembina Highway for other food. The price is around 10 to 15 CAD per meal. Transportation As an exchange student, the U-pass is not included in the tuition fee. After paying an extra fee of around 100 CAD, you can use the U-pass to take the bus in unlimited attempts. However, the buses are usually off schedule and there will be traffic jam during rush hours or bad weather in winter. It is suggested to download the Transit app and Winnipeg Bus Live app to know about when the bus will come. Climate The weather is extremely cold in winter with around -40 degrees in December and January, which is the coldest. It was about -10 to -20 since mid-November. It is very important to layer up and wear suitable water-proof shoes to keep you warm. You should also check the wind-chill as it may you feel even colder! Communication I bought the Chatr top-up card with 4GB monthly data plan at a price of 40 CAD per month. This SIM card also provide unlimited nation-wide phone calling. It can be bought at any Rogers shop. Cautionary Measures Many people told me that downtown is dangerous at night so never try to be there alone after dinner. Also, it is better to ignore the beggars whenever you meet them. Items to bring • Passport & HKID card • eTA • HKUST exchange acceptance letter • Laptop • Phone • Camera • Earphone • Adaptor • Portable charger • Calculator • Stationaries • Warm clothes • Water-proof snowshoes • Blanket • Pillow • Cooking Utensils Useful Links and Contacts 1. eTA application: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit- canada/eta/apply-zh.html 2. UofM residence: https://starrez- app.cc.umanitoba.ca/StarRezPortal/Default.aspx?Params=L9ezxPcQnQsDuaBX%2bLFbaQQWBJ7 Dzr%2bG 3. UM Learn (for course materials): https://universityofmanitoba.desire2learn.com/d2l/login 4. UofM Campus Map: https://umanitoba.ca/maps/ 5. Exchange coordinator (Amber) email: [email protected] .