Haomin Ma

City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Exchange to Australian National University, Australia

This time last year, I was busy applying for my visa and preparing my trip to Australia. It was my first time to live independently overseas and I was so excited and a little bit nervous. Now, as I sit here trying to organize my memory of so many unforgettable experiences during that six months, I can still recall those feelings vividly.

I remember the first day I arrived in Canberra by air from Hong Kong. It was so different! There was no skyscrapers but beautiful autumn colors everywhere and there were few people on the streets. I went to the RSISE (Research School of Information Sciences and Engineering) in ANU to meet my supervisor that afternoon. It was not that easy to meet someone to ask for help and Canberra was so quiet, which was good for me as I had serious sleep problems in HK.

Before long, I found that my worries in HK were totally unnecessary. Aussies are very nice and friendly. Sometimes they might offer help when they noticed me holding a map. The most warmhearted guy was the old man we met in Sydney when we tried to catch a taxi to the hotel we booked. He insisted on showing us the hotel and didn’t let us take the cab because it was close. Finally we had to follow him and walked for fifteen minutes with our heavy luggage.

Language associations are good places to meet new friends and improve your English. More and more local people want to learn Mandarin. It was also a good chance for me to practice my English. We called each other language exchange partners. My first partner was one of my landlord’s daughters and she introduced me to her friends who were interested in Chinese. Most of them had studied in Beijing or Taiwan for more than half of a year. Some of others are ABC (Australia Born Chinese). Their parents or grandparents might move from different parts of South China or Southeast Asia. They may speak a dialect of Guangdong or Fujian.

It seems usual to build and decorate houses themselves in Australia. They can be a carpenter, a painter, a tailor, and a gardener… My landlords were old couples. They had a big house with 7 bedrooms on two floors. All the wardrobes and bookcases were fixed and all the walls were painted by themselves. They were like civil engineers. When I was there, they designed and organized concrete workers to build two more rooms and a carport in the yard. They also had big plans for planting and decorating in the coming year.

Traveling in Australia is an enjoyable experience for its diverse landscapes and well conditioned roads. I invited my family to Australia for a 10 day wonderful trip along the southeast coast. The Blue Mountain, Kangaroo Valley, Jervis Bay and the Great Ocean Road are all very beautiful and impressive, but the most amazing part was that we were lucky enough to see so many wild animals. We stayed at a small town close to Jervis Bay and because of being fed by local people, kangaroos there were not that shy as in other places. They come out and eat on the street every morning and evening. When they saw you, they would come to you and ask for food. It was so interesting to see them that close and feel their lips on your hand.

It was the right time for whale watching when we were in Eden and we saw two whales jumping in a row not far from the coast, just with our naked eyes. Penguins living on Philip Island were the cutest. It was cold and windy and we were chilled waiting for them after sunset, but it was really worthwhile to see them struggling with the ocean waves and walking for their home in a queue.

Australia is a magic place with special natural and social environments. All the things happed in those six months will be valuable memories for my life. I wish I could visit Australia again in future.

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