Melissa Wan-Yu TAN

Student of Monash University, Australia
Exchange to Tsinghua University, China

As someone who was only semi-fluent in Mandarin, I saw this exchange as an opportunity to improve my language skills. Initially, I was confident my Chinese would allow me to converse easily with the locals and thereby integrate into exchange life in China. However I was humbled in this respect. Knowing the language was one thing, but I soon realised it was necessary to understand the culture of the country as well. As China's influence begins to grow globally, I believe that this exchange has better equipped me with the skills required to excel in my career.

To go on study exchange, meeting people and travelling to new places have long been my dream. I was also excited about the prospect of living in student digs. Fortunately for me, I was given the chance to live in the Asia Youth Centre at Tsinghua University, a dormitory that allows international students and local students to live in the same quarters.

Not only was I able to ask for my roommate's guidance, I also got to make friends with a local Chinese on the very first day! This made the process of meeting new friends a lot less intimidating and allowed me to make life-long friendships along the way. Surprisingly, despite being a fairly well- travelled person, travelling in China had challenged me in many ways. Not only had it taught me to be better prepared, it had taught me to be both patient and resilient in the face of adversity.

Additionally, I felt blessed to have attended such a well-recognised university. The locals always praised me when I told them that I was studying at Tsinghua University as it is one of the most prestigious universities in China. Admittedly, the campus is so beautiful during Spring that it is not hard to see why almost everyone dreams of getting into Tsinghua!

Most importantly, I believe a semester exchange has provided me with the time and space for introspection and to learn more about myself. Although I did get a little homesick and I missed everyone back home, I would not have traded this experience for anything else in the world.

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