Takehiro MIYAZAKI

Waseda University, Japan
Exchange to The University of Queensland, Australia

I had a really good experience whilst staying in Australia as an exchange student and I am sure that this exchange has become an asset which will help me a lot in my future career. Thanks to the Cheung Kong Scholarship Program, I was able to make my life in Australia more enjoyable and challenging. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity and will not forget this great honour for the rest of my life.

I stayed in International House, the international student dormitory of the university, for two semesters. I met a lot of people there and many of them became my close friends. While the time I spent there was amazingly exciting, I also went through various periods of emotional upheaval and melodrama. I would like to share one of these periods in order to demonstrate how my exchange study ending up being such a rewarding and enjoyable experience.

When I first arrived in Australia, I was continuing a long-distance relationship with a girl back in Japan. At first, everything seemed OK. I made regular contact with her through email, instant messaging, international calls and Skype (modern technology has the ability to bring people closer together; what a small world we live in now!) Unfortunately, our relationship ended with one call in the middle of the night. Everything that begins must come to an end. Come to think of it, perhaps we were too busy with our new lives. She was starting afresh in Tokyo while I was doing the same in Australia. Perhaps we were too young to keep the flames inside our hearts burning.

After we broke up, I got very depressed and spent much of my time acting like the living dead. It was a new situation, a new experience and a new life - I asked myself time and time again if I deserved this tragedy. Fortunately, my mates didn’t let me stay depressed for long and for that I thank them from the bottom of my heart. They would spontaneously come and cheer me up by sharing their own stories and listening to mine. While I was making Japanese hot pot in the yard, many people showed up and all of sudden, it turned into “ Take’s Break-Up Party” (March 2008). Thanks to them, I got over the break-up and was able to start afresh at Queensland University.

Sometimes, I remember the life I had in Australia and wish I could go back to those days. However, for better or for worse, one can’t go back in time and life goes on. One thing that I am certain of is that such great memories of Australia have made my life more fruitful and meaningful.

Thanks, Australia. Thanks, Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Scholarship Program.

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