Hoi Yu Siu

Hong Kong Institution of Education, Hong Kong
Exchange to University of Newcastle, Australia

First of all, I want to wholeheartedly thank the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Scholarship Programme and The Centre for International Education of The Hong Kong Institute of Education so much for giving me the golden opportunity to study in one of the highest quality universities in Australia. It was undoubtedly the happiest time of my whole life. I had always wished to be able to study abroad and this time, amazingly, my dreams came true.

To be honest, it was quite difficult to adapt to a new culture and environment in the beginning but luckily I was encouraged and supported a lot by friends there. I was so lucky to stay with my lovely host mother, Mrs. Maggie Black, who was kind, nice, thoughtful and always took good care of me. My life was made a lot easier because of her attentive care and I could not help but feel rather touched and surprised that she celebrated my 21st birthday. This was the first time that I celebrated my birthday in a foreign country and it was really delightful.

Now, I know how to adapt to a new environment and have become more independent and mature because of it. I cooperated closely with classmates at the University of Newcastle frequently and it helped improve my interpersonal skills and expand my personal network. Moreover this exchange programme not only assisted my personal growth and helped me gain a global perspective along with my career, but also broadened my horizons. Undeniably, my English speaking and listening ability has improved, especially my understanding of Aussie English and the aboriginal culture.

I have been to many different places around Australia, such as Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Uluru, and Tasmania. The people that I met during these trips were from different countries all around the world. We naturally became friends and shared our past experiences and lifestyles. I was so happy to hear them say that they all like Hong Kong and so proud that Hong Kong is known as ‘The Pearl of the Orient’.

Australia is so vast with many tourist destinations, friendly people, fresh air, a clean environment and tasty food. I liked Australia very much and I want to go back there one day. If you are thinking of where to go for exchange or studying abroad, I highly recommend Australia.

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