I am grateful for being selected by MPI to go to the outstanding language learning school in Queensland University-ICTE-UQ for the two-week study tour. We spent two weeks in Brisbane. This period of time was so wonderful that we didn’t want it to end.

What this program impressed me the most was the school life in ICTE-UQ. On weekdays, we spent most of the time on the UQ campus. The courses we took there were not that difficult but they were very practical. It was helpful to improve my oral English cause we learned a lot about pronunciation and communication skills from native speakers. We met many lovely and energetic teachers. They motivated us to learn while playing in class, which is much more fun than just sitting and listening. In addition to that, ICTE-UQ arranged interesting activities for us, such as sharing class with Japanese students, a city tour with UQ students and taking part in the EKKA festival like local people. All of these activities enabled us to apply what we learned in class to daily life. I have found that with the whole process, I am not afraid of speaking English in public like before. The two-week period was too short but it did bring positive changes to my English speaking skills.

ICTE-UQ also provided excellent services for foreign students. Not only for the good facilities, at the activities office in the building, we consulted staff for traveling around Brisbane and she was so warm-hearted that she helped every student finding transport information and explained as elaborate as she could, she answered every question with the smile and patience even though sometimes there were language problems.

 

The homestay family was another memorable part of this program. Every student lived separately in different families. This was the first time for me to be abroad and I had a desire to learn about the different culture and customs, living with local residents exactly provided a good chance for me. I cooked with them, watched TV shows with them, I did almost all daily activities with them which made me feel like I was a real member of my host family. Everyone in my homestay family was so friendly and nice to me. They helped me a lot in a totally unfamiliar city. I had a good time during the two-week stay. I found it interesting to know about doing things in different ways because of different cultural background. The boys in my host family were curious about Chinese customs. I not only taught them but also learned Australian customs from them. And my homestay mommy even improved her skills in cooking Asian foods after she had three Asian students in her family. I’m lucky and thankful for having them in my life. The homestay was the most unforgettable memory for me in this program.

We got two leisure weekends in Brisbane, so we traveled around the city, Gold Coast, Moreton Island and Long Pine Koala Sanctuary. It was good to experience both natural scenery and modern life in the same city. We didn’t worry about getting lost because we could always seek help from friendly local people. If they were not sure about directions, some of them would even spend time searching on the maps with us or helping us to find another person.

The two-week study tour in Brisbane had been one of the best experiences in my life. It widened my horizons, inspired me in English study and encouraged me in an unfamiliar environment. I really want to go back to this place someday. I want to thank the school which provided this precious opportunity and the teachers who helped us in the whole process.