Rita, Yuou SUN

Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Exchange to University of Technology, Sydney, Australia

The exchange experience in Australia is definitely fantastic!

Although I have been back in Hong Kong for a while now, I still often recall the life in Sydney, where I spent as much as four months to gain knowledge, travel around and understand life.

My host university was the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). Fortunately, it is located in the city of Sydney, thanks to which I enjoyed a life of local style, with convenient transportation, delicious food from all over the world and easy access to various kinds of entertainment. On school days, I usually got up early and walked to UTS (only a 5-minute walk). The courses I was studying in UTS were quite interesting and useful. I liked listening to lecturers and tutors demonstrating how to solve problems in an efficient and effective way. I liked to spend some time in the library after classes, to fully understand the new topics every week. I liked to borrow novels, written by Australian writers, from the library and take them to a nearby cafe. The novels helped me understand the life of Sydney residents from the aspects of both customs and history.

When I did not have any classes, I would rather forget all my troubles, leave the 'busy mode' behind, and sometimes be a 'traveler'. I might stay in the apartment for the whole day learning from my roommate how to make a French appetizer. I might go to fabulous beaches to enjoy the sunshine and the waves. I might get together with the friends I knew in Sydney, for dinner, games or just a talk. I really enjoyed the views of Darling Harbour and therefore went there quite often. I was so lucky to have the chance to buy one of the last tickets to WICKED and watched the splendid musical in the Capital Theatre! I appreciated it so much when my roommates brought back DVDs so that all of us could rest on the sofa and enjoy new movies! Sometimes with nothing to do, I would walk on George Street and look at the shops, churches and sculptures on both sides.

During holidays or weekends, my friends and I could not wait to fly to other cities or places in Australia to have a look! The Gold Coast, Cairns, Melbourne, Uluru - it was my first time to dive in the sea to a depth of eight metres and touch fish and coral with my hands on the Great Barrier Reef. It was my first time to live in tropical cities and see so many species of animals and plants. It was my first time to watch a sunset on a camel near a ‘red rock’ of an unbelievable size. These 'first times’ have made my life more meaningful, colorful and complete.

In the four months, I took care of myself, got through happiness and sorrow and faced difficulties in life on my own. I got to know people from all over the world. They told me about the customs and practices in their countries as well as their life stories. I tried to get along with them better and after all of this, I ended up having a better understanding of life.

How I wish I had a chance to go back to Australia, to thank my teachers, to hug my friends and to recall the beautiful memories of when I walked on George Street.

© Copyright 2018 CK Group. All rights reserved.