Hilary Goode

Flinders University, Australia
Exchange to East China Normal University, China

The Cheung Kong Scholarship allowed me to study Chinese in the stimulating and exciting country of China. I lived in Shanghai and reveled in a wealth of experiences and opportunities.

I undertook a semester exchange at East China Normal University, a beautiful university in Shanghai’s western suburbs, primarily for training teachers. I lived on campus in the foreign students’ dormitory, along with 250 students from all over the world. I was lucky to be surrounded and immersed not only in the Chinese culture, but also with people from such diverse backgrounds as Madagascar, Belarus, Chile, Cameroon, Korea, Turkey, Poland, Sri Lanka and Italy. As China becomes more globalized and progressive, it is increasingly an international hub for young and motivated people. Being part of university student life gave me the chance to make friends with people from all over the world and experience many things I wouldn’t have the chance to do in Adelaide.

Shanghai is more westernized than the older and more traditional Beijing and has a broad artistic and musical scene. I embraced the opportunities to attend an art gallery opening at Shanghai’s Museum of Contemporary Art, warehouse dance performances, Chinese live music gigs ranging from punk, rock and electronic, and visited museums, one of which featured propaganda posters. Shanghai’s multiculturalism also means a diverse range of restaurants and bars, and the chance to try delicious and different cuisines at reasonable prices. Within the student area, it was common to eat a meal from various Chinese regions, or street food such as baozi, dumplings and barbequed meats for $1-$2. The food in Shanghai was definitely a favourite and memorable part of my experience.

The Cheung Kong Scholarship also gave me the opportunity to be a part of another side of life in Shanghai – the working life. To meet full study load requirements, I chose to do an internship for my globalization topic for my International Studies degree. After studying 3 1/2 hours of Chinese language every morning (Monday to Friday), I also worked part-time at the South Australian Government Representative Office. This proved to be a steep and valuable learning curve about professional dealings in China. I was exposed to, and worked with, many different organizations and companies, and was lucky enough to present a small speech in Chinese and English at a business networking dinner.

During the May Labour Day holiday, I took the 50-hour train ride from Shanghai to Lhasa and spent a week in Tibet. I ate yak stew and drank yak butter tea, and visited the mystical Buddhist sites such as the Potala Palace and holy lakes at 5000 metres above sea level – with Mount Everest in the distance.

Life in China is not only fun and adventurous, but is also challenging at times which only makes the whole experience more rewarding and memorable.

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