BIG WORLDEDNESS Lau Wing Shun Winson

Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) in Marketing City University of Hong Kong

Big Worldedness

“Big Worldedness” is a term that stems from a TED talk by Chris Powell, an American student at the

University of Houston, after a summer internship he had in Ukraine. He discusses the limited thinking

behind racism and the need to encounter the unfamiliar. By looking at the world with “Big

Worldedness”, people are encouraged to get out of the box and pursue cross-cultural interactions

with absolute freedom.

With “Big Worldedness”, I always remind myself that I am a member of this global village where

tremendous amount of unfamiliarity awaits my exploration, experience and learning. While we are

living in an “unfamiliar” country, the places, food, people, language and everything are new or even

uncomfortable to us. “Unfamiliar” is a better word than “foreign” as it takes the pressure of adapting to

the new environment off. “Big Worldedness” challenges our mentality to immerse ourselves in

different cultures that we are unfamiliar with, and thus learn from them. Inspired by this wonderful

idea, I believe everyone has the power to change the way we look and think about the world. And I

just can’t wait to step out and be inspired.

Being an outgoing, adaptable and humble person, it is my earnest wish that I can explore the world

beyond my comfort zone. I may simply spark off a conversation, sharing thoughts with people I am

unfamiliar with and taking a big step to begin “Big Worldedness” and pursue cultural exposure and

holistic experience. Eventually, I can bring back what I will learn to CityU and the local community.

Preface Thankfully, there are splendid array of opportunities at CityU for students to establish and expand our

international network, which enhances our international perspectives, global awareness and

multicultural sensitivity. The following are some of my fascinating moments and treasured times on

and off campus. After seeing these highlights, I hope you will know more about me!

 

     

AIESEC in CityU Being a member of AIESEC in CityU in my freshman year, I was a team member of Finance and Legal Affairs (FLA) at

the beginning and now I am the Senior Officer of Global Talent Sourcing. In AIESEC, I immerse myself in a different

culture and learn how to see the world through different eyes.

What is AIESEC?

Ø World's largest student-run organization for young people to explore and develop their leadership potential in

order to create a positive impact on society.

Ø A global youth network facilitating youth leadership activities as well as international internships & volunteer

experiences

Ø A long history of over 65 years, developing a global learning environment across 124 countries & territories.

Why I join AIESEC?

Ø Living Diversity - AIESECers seek to learn from the different ways of life and opinions represented in our

multicultural environment. We respect and actively encourage the contribution of every individual.

Ø A cultural, team, global, learning, social, youth, leadership experience Ø AIESECers are interested in world issues, leadership and management

Ø Loads of international experience

Ø Lots of FUN!

Had great fun in Ocean Park with visiting AIESECers: Delissa & Valeria from Vietnam and Argentina.

Gathering with local AIESECers from CityU, HKBU & PolyU.

Dazzling view from the Peak with visiting AIESECer: Vannak from Cambodia.

With AIESECers from University of Oxford, HKU & CityU.

AIESEC  International  Saturday  -­‐  Have  A  Taste  Of  Swedish  Culture!  

 AIESEC in CityU organized the first International Saturday - "Have a Taste of Swedish Culture" successfully with

more than 70 participants on Feb 16. Being the member of organizing committee and master of ceremony, I am very

delighted to introduce a foreign culture to local AIESECers and AIESEC interns from all around the world.

It is our great honour to have Ms Amelie Heinsjö - Consul of the Consulate General of Sweden in Hong Kong joining

our event. With lucky draw sponsored by the consulate, snack workshop and culture sharing, it was absolutely an

inspiring, delightful and unforgettable evening.

Ms Amelie Heinsjö - Consul of the Consulate General of Sweden in Hong Kong

Swedes introducing their home country.

The whole event was started from scratch such as inviting the Young Professionals of the Swedish Chamber of

Commerce in Hong Kong and Swedish Culture Association to co-organize the event, looking for venue sponsors. I

must say that it’s the best event of AIESEC in CityU so far!

City-Youth Empowerment Project (CYEP) of CityU I have built up a habit of doing voluntary work since secondary school. After entering CityU, I am glad to become a

volunteer of CYEP, which offers CityU students many valuable chances to serve our community. “Food Angel – Meal

Box Service” & "Long Walk to Freedom, Short Path to Joy" are two memorable services I took part in Feb - May 2013

and December 2012.

I was packing Shu Mai into a meal box.

Food Angel – Meal Box Service (惜食天使 – 愛心飯盒服務 )

Of the million tons of food waste on a daily basis, much of it is quality food that can benefit people living in poverty. Food

Angel serves as a connection through collecting fresh food from major commercial food vendors every day. Volunteers

will help prepare food by packaging meal boxes, and distributing them to people in need.

Knowledge on environmental protection, sustainability, resource redistribution, food safety regulations, and poverty were

explored with fun!

During this service, you can always hear “Hey! How’s life going?” plus a warm smile from Max, a very nice and sweet

German I met during my volunteering session.

Distributing meal boxes to people in need.

One of the volunteers: Max, an exchange student from Germany, with a lovely smile.

Warm friendships among food angels.

Max’s birthday party!

We love dim sum of CityU’s Chinese restaurant!

"Long Walk to Freedom, Short Path to Joy" - An inspiring talk by Dr. Satish Kumar

Being an organizing committee and photographer, I am very proud to have been involved in this event.

Dr. Satish Kumar

“The spiritual and artist flagship of the green movement” according to the Guardian. Dr. Satish Kumar is a well-

known speaker from the UK who did “Peace Walk” (walk with barefoot) for disarmament advocacy. Raised as a Jain

monk from the age of nine, Satish Kumar became a campaigner for land reform at eighteen, working to turn Gandhi’s

vision of a renewed India and peaceful world into reality. Concerned about nuclear proliferation, he later undertook an

8,000-mile peace pilgrimage, walking from India to America through deserts, mountains and storms with no

money, to deliver packets of ‘peace tea’ to the leaders of the four nuclear powers at the time. In 1973, he settled in

England and was invited to be the editor of Resurgence & Ecologist magazine until present. Satish writes, teaches and

leads workshops internationally on holistic economics, reverential ecology, holistic education and voluntary simplicity.

Poster of the event.

Dr. Kumar sharing his wonderful life journey with professors and students.

Me and “The spiritual and artist flagship of the green movement”.

English Language Centre (ELC) of CityU In my freshman year, I actively participated in activities organized by ELC, which has dedicated to delivering high quality,

practical English language training. And providing a good deal of opportunities for students to learn English with fun!

One of the most exciting programmes is The English Language Mentoring Scheme (ELMS) which aims to help 1st and

2nd year students develop their English communication skills in different social settings. ELMS activities are not English

lessons indeed. My two mentors from the USA are really caring and friendly, and we hang out every week.

Left to right: Me, Kaitlyn (Mentor), Carissa (Mentee), Brian (Mentor). We went ice-skating!

Bobby, a British young man I met in ELC. He is not only a sincere and cheerful teacher, but also my good friend.

We dressed up as superheroes at the Halloween party at ELC!

Celebrating his birthday. Sweet smiles!

We love going yum cha!

Sports As a sports lover, I enjoy playing all kinds of sports including football, surfing, cross-country and table

tennis etc.

Sports knows no gender, age, race or religion. Sports allows us to push ourselves to the limit mentally, physically and emotionally in a way no other aspect of life can.

The happiness, excitements, fulfillments…all is free!

Photo with my uncle after winning a football championship.

Sport is a universal language that can bring people together, no matter what their origin, background,

religious beliefs, or economic status. Outside campus, I play for an amateur international team which

consists of Americans, Europeans and talented footballers from other football countries. All of us are

passionate about football (or soccer) and we have shared many ups and downs.

Me and my teammate Kyle from Kansas City, USA.

Left to right: Santiago (Chilean), Angel (Bulgarian), Me, Francisco (Chilean) and Keith (Local).

Left to right: Keith (Local), Louis (Local), An African, Me, Angel (Bulgarian) and Chigozie (Nigerian).

Left to right: Me, Ander (Spanish), Camilo (Colombian) and Keith (Local).

For those who are unfamiliar with football, I would like to share an interesting quote, “Life is a football game: The referee is god, the parents are on the sidelines cheering you on, the defenders

are your obstacles, your teammates are your best friends, the goals are your ambitions, your missed

shots are your failures, and breakaways are the happiest times of your life. You have to learn to

predict the next play before it happens. Just remember to always keep your head up and shoot for your goals.” And I always remember my coach once said, “Football is more than a sport. It’s a coach for life.”

Cambodia (2012 July)

Representing my school, Carmel Secondary School, I collaborate with other volunteers to plan and

organize fundraising events for Kurmul International School in Cambodia. We eventually went on

an expedition to this amiable country.

Me and Sela (a university student in Cambodia).

"If you want to have what you like, you must first learn to like what you have". It's the first

lesson I learnt in Cambodia. The life of every Cambodian is simple, but pleasant. They don't own

iPhones, PSPs, and computers but they enjoy and treasure every moment with friends and family.

Wherever you go, they greet you with a friendly “Sour Sdey” (a very nice word used to greet people)

and even chat with you. Life is beautiful!

''Treat others as you would like to be treated.'' It is the second lesson I learnt from this inspiring

journey. Sela, a local university student whom I met in the tour, has been one of my best friends. He

hugged me when we first met in the airport, and I was so surprised by this gracious gesture. During

the tour, his heartwarming hospitality did impress me a lot, as he introduced his family to me and took

me on a tour to countryside.

LOVE is all around, and we should spread it worldwide!

I will never forget how gorgeous their smiles are…

Yunnan (2012 Dec) In 2012 Christmas, I joined a joint university volunteer programme to Yunnan Province, China. During

five days’ volunteering, my group of six volunteers and I were teaching English, Science and Art,

making friends with the locals and donating books, supplies, and needed resources to the ethnic-

minority students in an under-privileged village. We had the opportunity to teach and inspire those

students through games, stories, and cross-cultural sharing sessions. The underlying purpose is to

give the children of Yunnan Province hope.

While Yunnan is renowned for its tourism, our volunteers were not particularly impressed by the

scenery but the faces and homes of the children. The interactions with the children, the

conversations with their family members, and the understanding of their living, studying; every scene

had a more profound impact on us.

Taking a visit to a student’s home, I discovered that most of the village residents of working age had

left to find work in cities, leaving only the children and senior citizens. I was very touched by their

great hospitality.

Volunteering in China is a unique and meaningful way to discover this fascinating nation. I think I

have gained more than I could imagine as immersing myself in different cultures and ways of life has

given insights into how I want to live my own life.

Taiwan Culture Exchange & Cycling Tour - AYP of CityU and CUHK (2013 Jan) Students from City University of Hong Kong and Chinese University of Hong Kong took part in a

7-day bicycle ride around Taiwan, a beautiful island. Our group was known as “The Wheel”, which

stands for unity. When every one of us held each other’s hand in a circle, a “wheel” was formed and

this made the group move! During the journey, everyone was so considerate and none of us was left

behind although we had to ride more than 10km per day. Meeting students from the National Taiwan Normal University was another highlight; they brought us around the campus and shared

their school life with us.

The crew!

Delicious meal prepared by hostel owner.

Splendid view from my room. Taiwan is really a beautiful island!

This couple is Taiwanese aborigines and they run a little café in a remote mountain village.

My team enjoying magnificent scenery next to the Pacific Ocean.

Story of Street Musician One day when I finished school, I walked home with great tiredness. Suddenly, a piece of melodious

and classical music flied into my ears. There was a foreigner playing an accordion. It was sad that

none of the pedestrians paid attention to this talented street performer. I stopped and enjoyed the

best 10 minutes of my day! While I was leaving, a local primary school student passed by him and

had a puzzled look. This kid suddenly turned back and talked to him! After knowing the name of

instrument, he gave a big smile. I knew the pleasant music just made our day! I hope everyone can

have the enthusiasm for learning like this child. The renowned quote by Steve Jobs, “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” can’t be more right.

 

Acknowledgement I would like to say a big thank you to the most beautiful woman in the world, my mom. You are the

first woman ever to fall in love with me. Thanks for raising me up!