LAM Wai Lun, Allan

Student of The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong
Exchange to Flinders University, Australia

My dream of an exchange abroad came true! I was so glad to be there and to be a recipient of the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Awards. This award absolutely provided me with the financial support to experience Australia. I cannot believe I was able to go on exchange abroad and spend a few months to study and live over there. This was the most precious experience in my university life.

I participated in a one-semester exchange to Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia. I studied 3 topics regarding Education. I found the teaching style, assignment workload and the contact hours were different from Hong Kong. The professors focused on the interaction during the class rather than the assignments after school. I enjoyed this new learning style. When I become a teacher in future, I hope to bring this Australian teaching style back to Hong Kong and share the memories of exchanging abroad with my future students.

Before participating in the exchange to Australia, what I heard from others was that most Australians treat Chinese not very nice. After spending a few months in Australia, I can prove them wrong. The people here were very kind and nice. “No worries”, “Have a nice day”, “See you next time” were the phrases I heard the most in Adelaide. I met a lot of local students there; they were very helpful and friendly. When they realized I was an exchange student, they were willing to offer their help and share their study experiences with me.

Through the activities organized by the international office, I had some opportunities to go sightseeing in Adelaide. I have been to the Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills, Kangaroo Island, Port Adelaide, Hahndorf, Glenelg and so on. During the journeys, I met lots of international students with different cultural backgrounds. It was a great opportunity to talk with them since I had not had such experiences in my home university. We understood more about each other’s country, background and personality. Those memories were very unforgettable and I cherished the relationship I built over there!

Living in a foreign country, learning to accommodate differences of all kinds and learning to live independently were tough, but the joy followed. After adapting to the Australian lifestyle, I really enjoyed living in a relaxing atmosphere. After living independently and away from home for a few months, I became more out-going and mature.

I would like to express my gratitude towards the Cheung Kong Group and the Australian Government for contributing to this amazing experience. Without your contribution, my dream would not have come true.

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