I spent the holidays in Japan and then flew from Osaka to Hong Kong on January 4, 2023. While I was in Japan I was watching the news about restrictions in Hong Kong closely, since the situation was constantly changing. Shortly before my arrival the government lifted nearly all restrictions, with only the mandatory PCR or RAT test prior to boarding a flight to HK and mask wearing in HK remaining. They got rid of the mandatory testing upon arrival at the airport, as well as the daily RAT testing for the fist few days upon arrival, but PolyU's housing kept the requirement for arriving students who would be staying in the dorms.

I met a few other exchange students and went with one of them to one of the university's canteens, where I had curry pork and rice. One of the biggest difficulties for me so far is the conversion rate of Hong Kong Dollars (HKD) to USD. Prices look super expensive for some things, such as a charger which was listed at $200 HKD. But after the conversion, the charger was only about $25 USD, which I think is a fair price for it.