Kwok Ka Wa

City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Exchange to Murdoch University, Australia

During the exchange programme, I studied at Murdoch University in Western Australia for one semester. I found Perth to be very different from Hong Kong, especially in regard to the lifestyle.

Perth is a beautiful place where the people are very relaxed and friendly. Unlike Hong Kong, it is not so crowded and busy – it is impossible to find shops that are closed on Sunday or public holidays in Hong Kong. People in Hong Kong grab every opportunity to gain money. However, people in Perth understand the importance of enjoying their lives and making good use of their weekends and holidays to travel around or to have a good time with their families and friends. I have found that being close to nature and the environment is the best way to relax in Australia. I liked to go to enjoy the sunrise in Kings Park, catch crabs in Mandurah, and taste “Fish and Chips”, which is the most famous food in Fremantle. Of course, it was a must for me to go to Caversham Wildlife Park to visit my friends, the koala bears and kangaroos. These are some of the unforgettable experiences that I have had because of this exchange programme.

In addition, people in Perth are very friendly and obliging. When I arrived at Murdoch University on Orientation Day, the staff and students were very nice. They helped me adapt to a totally new life on campus.

A special and exciting experience occurred on the Free Uniform Day for bus drivers, which I later found out is used as a charity day to raise funds for children in hospital. On Free Uniform Day, bus drivers are not required to wear their usual uniform – some of the drivers wear casual clothes and some of them even wear make-up. On this particular day however, when I looked at the bus driver, he scared me. He pretended to be a barbarian and I was too scared to get on the bus in case he wanted to fight me. He looked very serious and I was really frightened, but afterwards, he smiled at me and I knew that he was only joking. He was very funny and we had our photo taken together.

I would say that my life has greatly changed after participating in this exchange programme, after experiencing Western lifestyle and culture. I have become more and more independent and mature. I can make my own decisions now and have also learned to bear the consequences that arise from them. I have also learned how to get along and co-operate with other friends, no matter whether at school or at home. More importantly, it has actually widened my horizons and taught me how big and different the world really is.

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