TANG Xian Cher

Student of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Exchange to The University of Newcastle, Australia

I have never been to Australia before the exchange programme, though I did travel to some other countries. Most of the time when I travelled for leisure, I only stayed at a place for a relatively short period of time of one to two weeks. Due to the exchange opportunity, I was able to stay and travel around Australia not just for weeks but for months, and I felt that this longer period of time allowed me to better immerse myself in the local culture and to learn about the way of life of Australians.

While I was at the exchange university, I was able to enrol in certain linguistics and humanities classes focusing on topics which might not be offered by my own home university. I was also able to notice that classroom dynamics were slightly different from what I was used to. Professors and lecturers had different approaches to conduct the lectures and facilitate the discussions. This different experience is something that I regard as very valuable and enriching to my university education. As I was living on campus, I also had more opportunities to interact with other staff members and students, including some international students from other parts of the world. Through the interactions, I could notice that in Australian English there exist many vocabularies and expressions that were unique and different from the English I spoke in Singapore, and as a linguistics student, I found it particularly interesting. In addition, I am glad to say that most of the people I met were very friendly and warm, and this made the country even more welcoming for foreign students and visitors like me.

When I had free time, I also took the chance to travel around with my friends, visiting other cities like Sydney and Gold Coast. I participated in many interesting activities and visited many attractions, including the Opera House, the farmhouses and nature parks which allowed me to see the wildlife (including the kangaroos and the koalas, of course ☺), and the glow worm caves. All of these experiences were memorable and I am definitely keen to return to Australia in the future to relive them.

All in all, my exchange semester in Australia was an incredible experience, and I am deeply grateful for the support I have received through the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Awards Programme.

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