HONG KONG lived up to its image as a hectic, sardine-packed city for a group of students from Canada.
Christine Bay, 15, said being in the territory was like landing in the middle of a crowded theme park, while her friend, Nicolle Annette Lalonde, said it felt as if she was in the midst of a wild crowd fighting for a front row place at a show.
'Hong Kong is like Disneyland on Christmas day. Everyday is like that here,' said Christine from Canal Flats of British Columbia, a town of 1,000 inhabitants.
Christine and Nicolle were two of the six Canadian teenagers who flew to the territory to take part in the two-week Hong Kong - Canada Intercultural Exchange Programme co-organised by the Chinese Canadian Association, the Canadian International School (CIS) and the CIS Parents' Association.
In the eyes of the cultural ambassadors, things in Hong Kong were so different and overwhelming that they all suffered bouts of 'city shock' and 'culture shock'.
'I had no idea what to expect. I knew it was a city of six million people, but I thought it would be spread out. But it turned out to be such a small island,' said Monic Maria Buettner, 17, from Saskatchewan, who said she was amazed at the crowded living condition here.
During a visit to the temporary housing estates, the students could not believe their eyes when they met a woman who has lived in an 18 square feet area for 10 years. 'Everyone's got a bed back home and we now know that they are very lucky,' said Monic.