YIU Sze Long, Sharon

Student of The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Exchange to Monash University, Australia

I would describe Australia as a dynamic place with friendly people everywhere. You can find salesperson and waiters greeting you passionately; you may be able to bump into a nice person who chats with you on the train, or you can make new friends who are willing to assist you in adapting to local culture. Looking back, I have already returned to Hong Kong for four months, yet I still miss Australia a lot!

Meeting new friends is one of the most thrilling parts throughout the exchange experience. At Monash University, I am glad to have opportunities to meet students of various nationalities: Australian, British, Malaysian, Japanese, Indian, etc. The day trip to Mount Dandenong in Melbourne is the most remarkable experience among all. During the trip, local students served as hosts and drove us in small groups to different locations. We shared our own life experience and talked about different matters. To me, talking to people with totally different background is always a good chance of learning.

Frankly speaking, the five-month journey was too short for me. Still, I am glad to have seized every opportunity to explore more about Melbourne. Cultural experience, in particular, is an inseparable part of my exchange life. Known as the “Cultural Capital of Australia”, Melbourne has a lot of Victorian architecture which is more than spectacular, including St. Paul’s Cathedral, Flinder’s Street Station, etc. Melbourne city centre is also permeated with different sorts of cultural activities. From International Film Festival, Spring Fashion Week to Music Week, the dynamic city is engaging herself in cultural events from time to time to boost global cultural exchange and public participation.

Talking about cultural experience, a part that cannot be missed would be going for drinks and joining social events. Different from the college students in Hong Kong, Australian students are much more engaged in partying and drinking. As far as I have observed, going to the Nott (a bar located near the Monash Clayton Campus) on Thursday night seems to be the usual practice of Monash students. Although I have just been to there for a few times, it was such a nice experience to dance with friends and listen to pop music played by a live band.

Social events are also very popular in Monash. Different from HKU, where we have formal high table dinner, student organisations at Monash organise balls which allow students to party, drink and mingle. During my stay, I am so glad to have joined the Monash Law Ball, an annual event held by the Law Society of Monash University for law students. I was more than happy to mingle with friends in class, to try cocktail drinks from the bar table, and to dance on the floor.

Other than Melbourne, my exploration and exposure also expanded to other places in Australia. Sydney, the Red Centre, Brisbane and Gold Coast all have their own characteristics. My trip to the Red Centre was another unique experience in my life. The walk along Uluru, Kings Canyon and Kata Tjuta was tough with hot weather, rocky trails and coach broke down, but the excitement of accomplishing the missions as an adventurer was just beyond words.

There is one time when I visited the Tesselaar Tulip Festival in Melbourne, where I was amazed by the blossoming of colourful Tulip all over the field. I would compare my exchange experience to the flowers I saw in the Festival – each of them is astonishing yet the period of blossom is short. My exposure and experience in Australia only lasted for merely five months, but each and every moment was remarkable and unforgettable. Bits by bits, they have created a beautiful picture which makes the experience one of the best memories in my life. As a token of thanks, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Awards. Without the scholarship, I think this beautiful picture could hardly be completed!

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