Tomas RADOVIC

University of Queensland, Australia
Exchange to Shandong University, China

My exchange at Shandong University in Jinan, China will always carry some of the best memories of my whole life. At times it seemed that the lengthy 18 week Chinese semester would never end and at others it seemed as if it were flying. When I arrived at Shandong University, Shan Da, as it is shortened in Chinese, I had already travelled China for 1 month and had travelled on many occasions to China in the past. However, this experience was totally new. It was obvious from the get go that the Chinese weren’t going to make it easy to do things which seem simple in Australia. Enrolling was little less than a nightmare, too much paperwork and too much cash, this was made easier by me already having a Chinese level sufficient for asking what I have to do, but it was ‘interesting’ and a little angering to see the melee of international students trying to figure out what they had to do.

As for the study and social life at Shan Da, I would have to say I was more than happy. Of course there are people from many various countries and it’s always great to meet those who have the same interests, goals and passions as you. Despite the overly long semester, the classes were good and after nearly 4 hours of class everyday, your Chinese improves a lot, especially considering Jinan is a smaller city with a lot less westerners and tourists and a lot less people that speak English.

I didn’t expect anything from Jinan especially, and made myself open-minded to the life that was surrounding me. If you ignore the dirtiness, the spitting, the crazy traffic and the constant staring, there is a country which has a long history, a strong culture and a people who are willing to help you with your Chinese learning (especially in Jinan). The hardest part of your exchange will most likely be the goodbyes you have to say at the end, but as a German friend told me “People always meet twice in life.”

The Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Awards scholarship has allowed me to enjoy my time in China a lot more, and I did not have to worry about the financial aspects that every exchange student must think about while planning an exchange. The opportunity to travel abroad and immerse myself in another culture and use a different language had been a great one. It is definitely something that I will do again as the benefits outweigh the costs immensely. It sounds very cliche, but an exchange can change your life and it did change mine.

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