Home away from home

“Mr K O Chia and his wife, Anita, both mentor students, therefore I made two new friends from Pakistan, Ahmed, another mentee of K O and Aleena, who is Anita’s mentee.

We initiated a potluck gathering at our mentors’ home on a weekend. I made a slightly modified version of Indian vegetable dish called daal, whereas Aleena and Ahmed made two Pakistani desserts. Mr Chia and Anita are very welcoming hosts and they made us a tableful of dishes. There were a wide variety of dishes, including seafood, curry chicken, tofu and soup. Most importantly, they were all home cooked.

With all of them around me, I don’t feel so foreign in Hong Kong anymore. As an international student, I carry a few characteristics different from a local student, among which include staying in a hall which is not homely, eating out most of the time, taking care of myself in all aspects of life and hanging out with friends but not family members. The relationship with my mentors allowed me to have new experiences, which I could not have fulfilled without them, including enjoying healthy home-cooked food in a home, sharing my concerns and plans, and listening to their rich experiences living in Hong Kong as well as other parts of the world.

Our interactions also broadens my horizons as a medical student. I used to read but since I have entered medical school, I rarely find time to read books that are non-medical. I still read the news and occasionally read articles that are fed to me in my emails or social network. However our discussions at the dining table, which included religion, traditional Chinese medicine, travelling, family and career, reminded me of the importance of “being”, that is exploring the world and discovering my potential to the fullest. Besides medicine, I also need to build on my hobbies and relationships to have a fulfilled life.

In the photo (from left): Aleena Khalid (BSc[BioMedSc] Year 1), Yap Pui Min, Ahmed Nadeem Cheema (BEng[EE] Year 2), Anita and K.O. Chia

Mentors: Mr K O Chia and Ms Anita Chan
Mentee (2017-18): Yap Pui Minn (MBBS Year 2) from Malaysia