Sin Ying CHAN, Yentl

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

Hello, I am Yentl. I was really fortunate to receive the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Awards during my exchange in Adelaide. This could make me feel less worried about the financial problem. Although the exchange period is only one semester, this was the most unforgettable moment in my life.

The place I stayed is Adelaide in Australia. Adelaide is the biggest city in South Australia. It is famous for the wineries and the wild life. There is Kangaroo Island where we can see a lot of kangaroos, seals, koalas, dolphins etc. The city is quite small but peaceful. People in Adelaide were nice and friendly. In summer, the highest temperature can be 38 degree Celsius! It is hot and dry in summer while windy and cold in winter.

Flinders University is famous for its nutrition field. It has its own medical center and the campus is big. My major is food and nutritional science so I want to go to this university to learn more on this subject and experience the teaching style in Australia. I found that the students in Australia are very active and hardworking. They would ask many questions and read many related journals before having the tutorials. This really impressed me and made me reflect on my learning style.

The meaningful experience during my exchange is that it greatly enhanced my personal development. Going on exchange was a unique experience in university life, I became more independent because everything was handled by myself. No one helped me to plan anything. This is a good method to leave the nest and the comfort zone that we get used to.

Everything started again in a new place. During my stay in Adelaide, I had more time to think about my future career. In HKU, the workload was large and there was pressure coming from everywhere. However, I had much free time in Adelaide because the workload was relatively low. I finally had time to do some research on my career path and find out what I want to do in the future. I enjoyed the freedom in Adelaide. Sometimes, I missed my family and friends in Hong Kong, so I chatted with them online frequently. Interestingly, I found that the friendship was strengthened even though I was not in HK. Maybe because we could not see each other very often so we treasured every moment we skyped with each other.

If I have time, I would definitely visit Adelaide again. I have been missing the friends and the life in Australia since the moment I got back to Hong Kong.

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