Jubie LAU

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

What I have gained in my exchange journey

Last year, I received the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Awards and stayed in Newcastle, Australia for half a year. Although it is not a very long period of time, it is an unforgettable and treasurable experience in my life.

During the exchange programme, I have met people from different countries with different cultural background. Whereas, different people may have different habits. In Newcastle, where I stayed, people love drinking alcoholic drinks more than Hong Kong people do. There is even a bar in the university. When I go travelling with Australians and Germans, they drink beers nearly every day.

Besides, getting along with other international or exchange students, I learn to respect different culture and understand the rationale of certain behaviour. This experience has also allowed me to understand the habits and taboo of different cultures. For instance, in my shared house in Newcastle, one of my housemates is a Muslim. Because of her religion background, she does not eat pork and does not allow any pork in contact with her containers. So, to respect her cultural background, we did not use her containers to place any pork.

Nonetheless, undoubtedly, this journey has broadened my horizon. Also, I have met a lot of friends around the world. My time in Australia has really been a fruitful experience.

Impressing experiences

In the first week of my arrival, I only knew my 2 housemates and my landlord in Newcastle. As they had to work, I often stayed at home alone. So, I walked around in my suburb and the university since I was bored at home. When I walked on the street, the strangers greeted me, which made me feel warm.

When I walked pass a house, there was a couple harvesting their chili. We chatted for a while. And after that they asked me to take some chili. Although a few pieces of chili are not valuable, I could totally feel the love and caring from those people from their smile, greetings and generosity.

Another touching experience was on my way home on a bus at night. That day, the bus driver saw a young lady crying on the street. He then stopped the bus and asked her to get on the bus. He held her hand, chatted with her and soothed her. The whole process was at least 10 minutes but none of the passengers complained about stopping the bus for that long. Finally, the bus driver even wanted to drive the lady home because he was worried about the lady though she rejected. The lady seemed so much better after the chat. Before the lady got off the car, one passenger came to her and hugged her. This was really a touching scene.

Through these experiences, I feel that people in Newcastle are very nice and friendly. Their love and care towards people are not obstructed by the bustling atmosphere.

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