CHU Ho Lam, Coby

Student of Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
Exchange to The University of Canberra, Australia

Long before embarking on my university studies at Hong Kong Baptist University ("HKBU"), I had always aspired to spend time studying abroad on an exchange programme. I believed the exposure would benefit me as much as, if not more than, classroom learning. To prepare myself for studying abroad, and stemming from my desire to understand and observe behavioural and cultural differences, I always tried to interact with foreigners to know more about the world.

I have also enjoyed the company of exchange students attending HKBU, with whom I regularly meet up for social activities. These experiences have helped build up my ability to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds and to empathise with and acknowledge their differences.

I feel very grateful to become one of the recipients of the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Awards. The awards made my dream come true - spending the second semester of 2016 studying at The University of Canberra ("UC").

Life was not as easy as I expected, as this was the first time for me to travel abroad on my own for half a year. I had to do lots of things on my own, from organising the flights, to communicating with the exchange university, to cooking my own meals in a completely new environment.

Fortunately, UC provided lots of great opportunities for exchange students to get to know one another,by organising trips to Sydney and Cairns. This became an unforgettable journey for me to spend time in a beautiful place with my great friends, as you can see in my picture!

Being an exchange student at UC provided a golden opportunity for me not only to gain new insights and inspirations for my geography studies and my upcoming honours project, it also gave me a chance to broaden my horizons. A big thank you to the Cheung Kong Group and the Australian Government.

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