#blog post 7
#blog post 7

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intage-inspired outfit with a jean midi skirt, white and red floral top, red Chinese fan, and baker boy hat

introduction 

If you’ve been following my blog, then you would have seen that I have published two posts: “Whether you should consider a year abroad” and “How to pick the perfect destination”. However, an experience that rarely gets discussed online is being a black exchange student. Although not popular, the story is still worth discussing, so let’s explore this experience through my eyes as a Black British Female student who found community in Hong Kong.

Blurred photo of a group of Black university friends posing together on campus at their home university
Party nights on camous

Where are all the Black people?

No, seriously, being a black exchange student was probably one of the biggest cultural shifts. For context, I grew up in South London, an area in the UK known for its diversity, where finding 3 for £1 plantain and £3 Magnums (the drink, pls) was a common occurrence and frequent purchase. One was mostly for my mum; the other was my weapon of choice for a night out. Nonetheless, to me, South London is the heartbeat of London, where culture and community thrive.

To my surprise, my university also had the element of community that I thought was unheard of for a Russell Group university in the middle of nowhere. Here, I was able to make friendships with many people in the diaspora and learn more about Afro-Caribbean cultures outside of my Yoruba ethnicity. However, because of how large the black community was at my university, I wasn’t prepared for the scarcity of that in the exchange population.

An university society exec photo of me
My exec role in Nigerian Society

Okay, so, where did they all go?

From the beginning, I knew not many of my uni friends would be joining me on this great opportunity. Before coming to university, I always knew I wanted to study abroad, but I realised, especially within my community, it was something that many didn’t ponder. When I told people I was doing a year abroad in Hong Kong, I would tend to hear this response:

“Wow, that’s so cool, I could never do that”

I was flattered by their enthusiasm for my decision, but I often wondered why others couldn’t make the same one. To me, it always sounded like a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but for many, it seemed like it felt like something that didn’t make sense in their journey. I can’t say whether that’s true or not because everyone is different, but it did make that 14-hour flight that much lonelier.

Once I landed in Hong Kong, I scrolled through the HKU WhatsApp exchange group chat, squinting to find anyone who looked similar to me. After scrolling through 275 numbers, I could count on my hands how many black people I saw. To be fair, many didn’t have a profile photo, so I won’t claim my study held high validity, but it was somewhat representative of the lack of black people on the exchange.

What separated my home university (Warwick) from my host (HKU) was the dedication to black spaces on campus, or even just societies for that matter. Warwick had a multitude of sports and societies on campus with termly social calendars and dedicated exec members. There was truly someone for everyone, and I loved the opportunity it gave me to make friends with people outside of my course and accommodation. Within my university, there were at least 8 societies for black students to meet like-minded people and make friends, but HKU had none. This made it much harder to meet black students on campus, a reality I wasn’t used to at all. Plus, in my opinion, the student union just wasn’t as influential on student life; instead, I had to prioritise meeting people outside of university.

So, where did you find the black people?

There were many places where I found black people in Hong Kong, but there is most definitely an art to it, so let me help you out.

The vast majority

Photo of a Black student eating poundo and egusi soup in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, highlighting cultural food experiences while studying abroad
In TST (Hong Kong's African Hub) eating Poundo Egusi

1) My Prior network

Before coming to Hong Kong, I reached out to mutual friends in Warwick who knew people who studied in Hong Kong. One of my friends, who studied two years before me, gave me contact information for her former network. She also provided me with the spots to be and where to find other black people. So at least I knew where to look.

2) Going out

This is where I met most of my black friends, whether they were students or working professionals. This really requires you to put yourself out there, but honestly, it shouldn’t be so difficult, because the distinctiveness and rarity of your skin colour tends to make it easy to connect. Whether this was going to dinner, bars, clubs, the beach, etc, the chances you’ll happen to run into a black person eventually are high. But knowing where to look does help, so try bars and clubs that play music by black artists or find restaurants that make cuisines from the diaspora. There is normally an area in each place where you’ll find loads of black people. In Hong Kong, this was TST. So, once you find a local black person, hold on to them tight as they’ll likely introduce you to others. Funnily enough, I met most of my black exchange friends/home students in Central/LKF, which is the shopping and party district of Hong Kong, not campus.

Uncommon but useful Places

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Her and I in this drawing done in Korea (I dont think mine is accurate at all)

3) University

It’s quite shocking that university is all the way down here. I think I made about three friends directly through my campus and accommodation. I was lucky that there was another black British girl who lived two floors above me (who turned out to be a cousin and friend of two of my friends from Warwick). However, our accommodation only had four black students in it. Running into black students on campus was difficult, and I think I could count the times on my fingers.

4) Dating Apps / Social Media

After watching some TikTok’s about making friends abroad, many users recommend using dating apps to find people. The common app used was Hinge, as it was the one many foreigners tended to use, especially in Hong Kong, as Hinge was only available for those who didn’t have a Hong Kong SIM. Also, hinge has a filter where you can choose your desired ethnic group, so it’s super easy to meet black people. What helps is if you add to your profile that you want to make friends and lead with that in conversation.

In Summary 

By the second semester, I had a five-girl black friendship group with whom I travelled, ate, and went out with. They really made my year, along with my individual relationships with other black people in Hong Kong. To clarify, I didn’t just make black friends (that would be virtually impossible in Hong Kong), but being friends with people you share cultural similarities with is always nice, especially when you are a minority.

Long story short, it is very possible to find community overseas as a black study abroad student, but you need to stay visible and leave your room A LOT.

Well, you really should be doing that at home and overseas, but don’t wait for people and complain that you can’t find anyone. Take charge of your life and create/join a community that makes you feel safe, comfortable and happy. That’s one way to enjoy your experience abroad: subscribe to my blog to hear more about my experiences abroad.

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