Kohei Nishimura

Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
Exchange to University of Technology, Sydney, Australia

Before looking back on my experience in Sydney, I would like to thank the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Awards programme for giving me this great opportunity to make my study abroad experience more meaningful.

Like most travellers, my image of Australia was “life close to nature”, including road trips through deserts, contact with wildlife and other outdoor activities, which was actually one of the main reasons that I chose this country. However, my expectations were dashed as soon as I arrived at the Sydney airport. What a BIG CITY it is!

Even though I had only just arrived, I felt comfortable because no one treated me like a foreigner and everyone was friendly to me even though we did not know each other. In the beginning, I felt a little nervous, to be honest, but I got used to the different style and now I enjoy conversations with people who sit next to me on the bus. As they say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

Australia is known as one of the biggest immigrant countries in the world. If you walk along the street, you can easily hear many different languages. Some people compare American culture to a “salad bowl”, but for me, Australian culture is like a “lunch buffet”. Many kinds of meals are served in one big plate, but they do not mix with each other, though sometimes they become mixed and generate new styles or tastes. It is quite natural to make groups with people who have the same backgrounds because it is comfortable and easy to share common ideas. I am still always struggling to make group assignments work well, as common knowledge for me is not always “common” for others, which never happened to me before coming here, because we do not have many foreigners in my society and we could share some rules on a tacit understanding.

On the other hand, we can gain much benefit from a multicultural society. For instance, we can enjoy different country-specific foods every day, which I might say is a food journey around the world - without even travelling. I am living in one of my university’s dormitories and there are many kinds of events, including cooking lessons, salsa class, movie night, and so on. I learned how to cook “paella” and spanish omelette from the last lesson and these classes are quite interesting for me to learn and experience different cultures. I will hold a Japanese food class next time.

Additionally, I have come to think more about Japanese culture. I had no idea how popular Japanese culture was before coming to Sydney, so I was very surprised that there are many Japanese restaurants and a lot of comics in bookshops (they even call these books “manga” from the Japanese word). I sometimes feel embarrassed when people ask me questions about Japan which I don’t know the answers to. It makes Japanese culture more attractive to me when looking at it from the outside.

Although I have spent less than one year of my life in Sydney, I am sure this experience will greatly influence my future plans and career. Again, I wish to thank my parents, friends, and everyone who supported me and made my long-term dream come true.

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