Barb HOWARD

Student of Murdoch University, Australia
Exchange to City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

What would possess a woman in her mid forties that enjoys living in the spacious and secluded surrounds of Perth’s hills to exchange it for a small shared room in high rise student accommodation in one of the most densely populated places on the planet? My only response to the variations of this often asked question was that age does not deter the desire for some excitement, apparently!

It was during a three-week study tour to Europe the previous winter semester that the notion of studying abroad started to take hold. As soon as I got back to Murdoch University, and before I could talk myself out of such a ‘pie-in-the-sky’ idea I acted.  It was not long before I was explaining to my shocked husband and sons that directly after Christmas I would be departing for Hong Kong and that I would not be coming home for some time.

As the departure date loomed, however, I felt very unprepared for what lay ahead. I hadn’t dared think too much about the new direction my life was about to take once there was no changing course.  But occasionally images did creep into my consciousness of me wandering the crowded streets of Hong Kong alone. Fortunately, my experience turned out to be rather less solitary.
 
I arrived in Hong Kong in the midst of a bone chilling northern hemisphere winter to spend the semester at City U. What I had not counted on was that there would be three hundred other exchange students from around the world also descending on the university, very keen to explore, and experience the local culture and cuisine.

I was warmly encouraged to get involved in extra curricular activities so promptly abandoned my initial plan to focus exclusively on my study. I accepted invitations to take part in a range of student-initiated outings around the city and even organised a few events of my own – being experienced at cooking for the multitudes had its advantages! Age was certainly no barrier as long as I could keep up, and I did my very best, even backpacking around Taiwan with a Swede and a Brit who I had befriended.   

My exchange experience has been a highlight of my time at university and I gained more from it than I had dared imagine. It brought my study to life, it reflected back to me the progress that I had made in my own development (I am not sure a younger version of me would have gained so much), it enabled me to develop meaningful relationships with people from a diversity of cultures and to explore places less travelled. It also taught me to value discomfort because it is indeed character building. Without a doubt, an international study exchange presented me with the classic sink or swim scenario. I swam really hard and just crossed the finish line, albeit completely exhausted but with a deep sense of satisfaction. My departure from Hong Kong was tinged with unexpected sadness as I left behind new friends but the world to me is now smaller and closer and I feel more connected to it. Accordingly, my dose of travel bug has not responded to treatment much to my family’s dismay.

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