Jin ZHAO

Student of Fudan University, China
Exchange to The Australian National University, Australia

Participating in an exchange program has always been one of my goals of university life, and this was why I applied to this one-semester program at The Australian National University. To be frank, I was not very sure about it at the very beginning because I have been to Australia before. It seemed to be less exciting to travel to the same place. However, I now can say with certainty that this exchange program is one of the best things of my university life.

Australian National University is located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. A quiet city populated with government institutions and universities, Canberra is not that kind of fancy place one would fall in love with at the first sight. Especially for me, a girl from Shanghai, the two cities of different styles present to me a sharp contrast. After two weeks or so, I began to see the beauty of this city. With tranquility comes friendly people, beautiful landscapes and a safe environment. Rabbits, swans, foxes, and parrots can be spotted anywhere. The lake by the campus at dusk is a great place for working out.

After a month, I fell in love with this quiet city. But the most fascinating part is on the campus. ANU has always been renowned for its academic excellence and I am so grateful for the opportunity to study with world-class professors and students. One of the courses I took is called Cross-cultural Communication, wherein I meet students from across the world with the most diversified backgrounds I could have imagined. With Professor Jane Simpson's enthusiastic yet organized teaching, I learned to understand cultural differences and their causes and solutions.

During the semester break, I went to Tasmania, an island famous for its natural landscapes and diversified species. The view was breathtaking, people loving, animals adorable and I would go back if I had the chance. Tasmania has shown me a lifestyle I didn't dare to imagine. It is a place where humans are in harmony with the environment they are in. Tasmanians are not busy with making money, instead they invest in the land that they love and share that love unapologetically. I was deeply moved with Tasmanians' bonds with their lands and I have learned to look at the world we live in with a whole-new perspective. And that, is what I think to be the most important benefit of this exchange program.

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