Fabián VERGARA

Student of University of Technology Sydney, Australia
Exchange to The University of Nottingham Ningbo China, China

Other than the fact that it was in Zhejiang province, I had no clue about Ningbo. This was the furthest north I would ever travel in China. Prior to my exchange, I had studied in China previously as part of a summer program in Guangzhou. But China is a place wherein I always feel like a first time visitor. Caught in a mixture of excitement and nervousness, but never apprehensive.

These all happened in 2015. My time in Ningbo was all too brief. In the semester I was there, I had cultivated an entire life of my own, independent of anyone else. I studied in an up and coming university, The University of Nottingham Ningbo China ("UNNC"). Knowing little to nothing about the university or the city, I had never in my life expected to become as attached as I did to the people and the streetscapes. Ningbo and my time during exchange are things that I look back on and cannot point out any overly negative experience.

My memories of Ningbo, the friends I made there, the late nights spent either out over a drink or cramming in the library for final exams, the amused expressions of the locals as my foreigner's tongue slowly became more adapted to the tonalities of their language, the names of all my neighbours in the campus dorms and the shy enthusiasm and warmth with which the local students treated me are just some of the things that always come to my mind when I think of being in Ningbo. I can honestly say that if I could do it all over again, I would do it exactly the same. I find myself longing for this period in my life because it was one that truly made me happy.

I wish to thank my home university - University of Technology Sydney, UNNC and CK Infrastructure Holdings for enabling me to go on exchange.

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