As someone who loves travelling, the pandemic paused my dreams of travelling. However, participating in the Global Lens programme has made 2020 more of a year of world awareness rather than a year of just quarantine for me.

At first, I found it quite bizarre that students could feel the essence of travelling with just a laptop. But as the activity progressed, we started exploring the world via the internet lens. The programme encouraged students to break barriers, I found the preparation of the group presentation most thought-provoking. My group was interested in equity and equality, particularly the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM). The Movement may seem distant to Hong Kong at first glance. Yet, after researching, we found that the message behind BLM was closer to heart than we thought. The biggest takeaway for our group was that “the world is more similar than we think”and we may surprise ourselves with our similarities. 

The awareness continued when I became an MC of the Student Conference 2021. I have to write scripts in introducing the presenters. Being aware of cultural sensitivity, I told myself to understand where the students’ research was coming from and how it may relate to Hong Kong. This connection made the scriptwriting process much smoother and easier than I expected. It also provided a platform to train my ability in asking more insightful questions for academic studies, which was a bonus.

All in all, I can proudly say my experience from both activities was remarkable. Though I’m unable to travel physically, the student conference and GH 101 provided me with an opportunity to travel virtually – gaining the same sense of cultural sensitivity as I may have received from a physical tour.