HK

Language
Classes in Hong Kong are all taught in English, except ones such as Chinese literature. Students and professors all speak English well. There is no real need for an American exchange student to learn Chinese, except out of curiosity. Most people I encountered in on the street also understand at least some level of English and Mandarin, but I could tell that some really prefer to converse in Cantonese. The younger generation tend to have a good/excellent grasp of English. There are English signs in most public places, so it is somewhat difficult for an English speaker to really get lost.

Food
Chinese food is common. Mostly of the southern variety it seems. But there are also restaurants of many different styles. And fast food such as McDonald's is easy to find. Food is really not something one should worry about in Hong Kong.

Shopping
Above the subway station near the hotel was a multistory mall. It looks just like an American mall, and things are priced similiarly as well (clothes, books, cds, eye glasses). There are also street markets. You basically walk from one end of a street to another (one or two blocks) through many vendors and other shoppers. You can walk in the center or on the sides, so one street is actually three tracks. Prices are much better than in the mall, although this is of course not where you would buy genuine brand name stuff. If you see a good book on haggling read it before you go to Hong Kong.

Transportation
The MTR subway impressed a lot of us. It is fast, inexpensive, and goes everywhere. The train itself is impressive too. Unlike the Chicago subway which has many connected sections, the MTR seems to be one long train, and you can see very far each way until the curvature of the train cuts off your eyesight. The announcements on the train are in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. Some one told me the same announcer does all three, and she has since became a celebrity in Hong Kong (can anyone confirm this?) There are also glass doors to prevent people on the platform from falling onto the tracks. The subway runs until 12:30 at night.
The buses are very narrow. Sitting in one felt kind of suffocating, at least on the bottom level of the bus. Maybe the top is better.
Taxi is everywhere and starts at 15 HKD (~2 USD). Going from where we stayed in Kowloon Tong to Hong Kong island cost around 100 HKD (<15 USD).