Fong Lai CHAN, Denise

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

My first time stepping into the land of Australia could be flashed back to my secondary school. After that three-weeks of studying in a local school and staying with a local host family, I had already fallen in love with this country and its people and have always been dreaming of coming back. Thanks to the exchange programs in my university, my dream came true and I would say Australia has not made me disappointed again. The half-year exchange life not only became the greatest experience in my university life, but also definitely one of the most precious times in my life.

The sunshine welcomed me in, the first day when I arrived in Adelaide. The weather was extraordinary hot with 40 Celsius degrees which I had never experienced in Hong Kong. Though hot, I did not feel uncomfortable because of the low humidity which keeps my body dry and not too sweat much.

My landlord welcomed me with a lunch in Hungry Jack's. I am quite lucky to meet and live with my landlord, a retired professor from another university in Adelaide. He is a knowledgeable and caring person. We had after-dinner walk and talk almost every day even in the chilly cold evenings in winter. We shared substantial topics such as life value, career prospect, views toward marriage and retirement systems in Australia to name a few. The sharing between us has enriched my understanding and perspectives towards diverse issues and built up our friendship. Even back to Hong Kong, we still keep close contact and he feels like my extended family member and always welcomes me back to Australia. I also lived with other housemates from Nepal and Malaysia. In weekends, sometimes we cooked dinner together and shared distinctive dishes from our own home countries. The cultural exchange on the dining table was rich and relaxing which every one of us has no boundaries in sharing our views with each other. Another gift from the gods is the substantial sunshine in Australia which provides a vigorous environment for cultivating diverse fruit plants. I am a fruit addict and the multiple fruit plants in my garden provided me with fresh seasonal fruits such as oranges, pears, lemons and peaches. My landlord even plants chili which serves as a flavoring for my noodles sometimes. A kindly tip here for you is to pick the ripe fruit off the trees before the birds eat all of them.

The campus life in the Flinders University is surely another awesome part of my exchange life. Students with diverse background not only reflected on nationality and religion, but also the age difference. The education system in Australia encourages people to learn for life without the age limitation and such a culture is unfamiliar to see in Hong Kong. I was first surprised to have lectures with classmates quite older than me in age. Some of them are mothers, part-time workers and even retirees. The various age differences in class does not lead to communication gap, Instead, I was inspired by the proactive atmosphere in class. The interaction between lecturers and students or among classmates was appreciable which contrasts sharply with my home university. I think somehow it is how the Asian and Western education system differs.

Australia is also a humanitarian-ground country where receives thousands of asylum seekers, refugees and displaced people worldwide. I met two classmates who are from South Sudan and Afghanistan. Both of them experienced torturous suffering during the political or religious war in their home countries and finally settled down in Australia. Those miserable experience has brought them permanently physical illness and psychological scars. Their stories allowed me to gain a deeper understanding and broaden my perspectives on humanity work. Furthermore, lecturers and schoolmates in Flinders University always lent me helpful hands and offered supportive advice whenever I need. I am really grateful that I met so many nice people there.

No matter you are a quite person or active person, you can always find Australia an ideal place for living and travelling. I really enjoyed the quietness living in the suburb and the birds woke me up in the morning. I was amazed by the stunning natural scenes in Australia. There are substantial country parks and green areas and spending a leisure afternoon in any of them would be a great pleasure. You can also enjoy the more exciting and adventurous activities like skydiving, camping and rafting in Australia. Needless to say, I would not miss any chance to experience something new in Australia. After the semester ends, I started my graduation trip to Melbourne, Sydney, Alice Spring and Cairns, and then spent another 19 days in New Zealand. Through the trip, I have many first-time experiences such as skydiving, camping, skiing and even ice-glazing. I am pretty sure you will find Australia a fabulous country when you go and explore.

Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude and thankfulness from the bottom of my heart to the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Awards, the nomination of the University of Hong Kong and Flinders University for providing and supporting the exchange program. Undeniable, this once in a lifetime experience has fostered my personal development and broadened my international insights on the world. I have truly no regret in choosing Australia as my host country.

Last words for you: grasp the chance to join an exchange program. You will discover the variety of the world and never regret for it.

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