Sophie PARKER

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

My time overseas on exchange was so much fun! What an experience. To be able to live abroad with the assistance of a scholarship was wonderful and has added greatly to my life. The experience of living abroad is scary at first, but once I settled in, it was such a wonderful time. I searched Hong Kong on the internet a lot before arriving, although discovered so much more. Hong Kong is far more than the skyscrapers, the shopping and the high life; as we discovered waterfalls, camping on the beach, surfing, hiking and national parks.

The highlights of studying abroad included weekend hiking and camping trips, the bus rides through mountains to waterfalls and secluded beaches. It was also incredible to be in such a small city that within 45 minutes you could be in the most isolated places to the most extreme built up parts of the city.

It was really good to become the minority in a place where everyone looks different to what I was used to and to learn to communicate with people from other cultures. As well as this, Hong Kong was a great location to explore other places, including China. Many other students visited Thailand and Indonesia while on exchange.

Studying was also good, as I felt that my routine back at my home university was beginning to create a burnout. This change brought about new ambitions and made me more enthusiastic in my studies when I came back home for my final year. I am thankful for the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Awards and financial assistance that I received abroad as it would not have been possible without it, I recommend studying abroad to any students, as it is possible if you make it happen!

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