Chloe LEIGH-SMITH

Student of Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
Exchange to Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak campus, Malaysia

My name is Chloe Leigh-Smith and I am currently undertaking Product Design Engineering Honors at Swinburne University. I spent a semester studying Engineering in Kuching, a small city in Malaysian Borneo.

I arrived in Borneo in August last year; you could say I was eager. I left my first day of orientations as a new member of the competitive Dragon Boat Team, The Ultimate Frisbee club and the Hip Hop Dance crew.

In a whirlwind I found myself meeting people from every corner of the world, navigating an unfamiliar city by scooter, over indulging in Malaysian cuisine and organising accommodation in Mandarin. I do not speak Mandarin.

At university local students and lecturers were inclusive and warm.

My physics lecturer would announce my arrival to every lecture over the speaker systems, often followed by questions about Australia or my Kuching experience in front of at least 100 of my fellow students ...

This kind of enthusiasm and welcome reiterated the responsibility I had, not only to embrace this experience wholeheartedly for myself, but that the responsibility was as much about reciprocating, and ensuring I was active in my 'cultural exchange'.

The city of Kuching can be considered as a hub for travel across Asia. During my six months abroad I was fortunate to spend time exploring mainland Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Singapore, Indonesia and India.

Every one of you will have a different exchange experience and that is the beauty of exchange. And whilst this may render the experience almost indescribable, we have all experienced something so special, incredibly rewarding and uniquely ours.

Not only does studying abroad allow you to immerse yourself in a different culture, engaging and connecting with people, but also it is a vehicle for personal growth, challenging you to step outside your comfort zone, allowing you to reassess perceived boundaries, evaluate, reflect, contribute and emerge with a refreshed sense of self-awareness.

I would like to acknowledge the kind generosity of the Cheung Kong Group for their ongoing commitment towards facilitating student mobility to the Asia Pacific Region.

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