"that's really a lot. Is it a common practice for you guys to travel that much? I wish I could, too. And it's also interesting to see you know many languages too."
US citizens can travel to many countries with just a passport. I don't know what kind of regulations apply to people from HK. In any case, if you have the opportunity to do so, you may be able to visit several European countries.
I don't know what is "common practice" anymore. There is an old saying in English "Where there's a will, there's a way."
You may still be young enough to go to youth hostels and be eligible for discounts on train/boat passes. Probably the most annoying thing in the EU, is NOT being able to get the discounts EU people enjoy and paying full price. Some places may give you a student discount, though.
You may want to check out the bookstores and see what kind of language materials you can find new (or used) in Germany.
Have fun (responsibly)!
I went 2 times in Paris and NEVER I will come back. The city is ok, but the people...unbelievable attitude. Especially women in public places: they are bastard fuckin bitches. Especially in Beauvais airport: a true disgusting whore den
Parisian has the same architecture all over the place. The same five story buildings are everywhere on bland boulevards that all look the same.
According to tripadvisor:
Most Unfriendly Hosts in any European city are the ones in Paris.
My friend from Lyon told me that most French people don't like Parisian.
>>US citizens can travel to many countries with just a passport. I don't know what kind of regulations apply to people from HK. In any case, if you have the opportunity to do so, you may be able to visit several European countries.
Hong Kong passpart is a "popular" one. Some 130 countries offer us visa-free, you know what that means. Taiwan has some 50, Macau some 50, and China the rising power... no western countries at all, just some 30 countries in some small pockets in Africa/Asia... While it shows how foreign countries recognize the good image of a place, there you go, the Hong kong passport is enough convenient except for Brazil, Russia, THE US, etc.
>>You may want to check out the bookstores and see what kind of language materials you can find new (or used) in Germany.
Have fun (responsibly)!
My analogy: I know a few acquaintances from Finland here in Germany. There are some 5 millions of Finns in the world, and their language is small enough, so to speak. Very few people learn Finnish. Finland is in the EU and uses Euro. Finland has a few neighbors and diligent Finns can learn multiple languages, aided by geographic proximity.
There are also a few Chinese students around me, so that I can speak Cantonese and Mandarin sometimes, though my Chinese is now declining slowly (lol). Our language is huge in my country, but just as small as Finnish beyond its borders. Maybe more people learn our language. My country is itself a regional power. It has a lot of neighbors, but I can't enjoy any geographic proximity at all. Education opportunities (languages) are quite rare.
My French acquaintances find it easier to get to know potential language partners (German), since lots of people do learn French. But I've been out of luck in language exchange, whether I'm in Germany or back in Hong Kong. And, to be PC, my financial ability is very limited. So, you see, being a Chinese speaker, in some ways, is completely different from what AJATT, our revered Professor.....etc may do to learn and master multiple languages. I remember the latter's remark to me, which is something like that it's been very diligent of me to learn European tongues, since they are hardly related to my native language. Even with English, our natural first foreign language (for educational reasons), we struggle almost like forever...
And that's why, back in Hong kong, i always see peoople posting pooor English asking for help, and others who always complain about their own poor English. Whatever it is, we tend to be hardly motivated, while still having really bad feelings for not being able to speak, write, etc. Sometimes, the inferiority complex I can see in some people... might not be pointless after all. So to speak, my country is a pretty poor place for learning languages - except the Chinese ones.
In Germany, an officially monolingual country, you still find loads of immigrants and foreign residents everywhere in bigger cities, and they aren't rare at all even in smaller towns. Hong Kong claims itself to be international, but I can tell you that, according to my observation, I can see more non-Germans (they may be other Europeans or aren't of European descent at all) in such a small town than non-Chinese in Hong Kong. So, hong Kong's reputation is debunked. It's simply near to impossible even to practice English in my home city. And at my university, I can't do much, either. Foreigners just won't give a damn about practice... unless... you have to join certain groups, and socialize a lot with "drinking"... which is terribly expensive. But in Germany I got a drink for 2 euros and enough for the whole night... After all, the lack of immigrants and foreign residents is pretty much enough said.
I'm leaving so I had to type quickly... and my new (German) keyboard ... the o button is very strange, so pardon me for extra letter o's.
"Hong Kong passpart is a "popular" one. Some 130 countries offer us visa-free, you know what that means"
Yes, I do, and that's interesting.
"I can see more non-Germans (they may be other Europeans or aren't of European descent at all) in such a small town than non-Chinese in Hong Kong. So, hong Kong's reputation is debunked. It's simply near to impossible even to practice English in my home city."
I can understand this. I remember that I saw the biggest number of internationally diverse people in a big Indian restaurant there.