Though it’s been several weeks since I came back from Australia, the experience is still vivid in my mind. There is so much to share but to keep it short I will just cover the most impressing points.

Homestay
There are three people in my host family, Alexandra and Scott, the hostess and host both work in the IT field, and Jack their adorable 6 year-old son. It is my first host family and I was their first home stayer as well. They treated me like one of their family members and gave me a true sense of family life. During my stay, Alex cooked delicious meals, including Moroccan beef with steamed couscous, Vietnamese fish curry, roast lamp and even home-made wonton and so on. I often helped in the cooking and fell in love of using avocado in all sorts of dishes. Later Alex gave me the recipes so that I could cook them in Macau. Jack is always energetic. He was very excited to learn Chinese and kept asking me questions about China and my feelings of Australia. We shared many activities together, such as playing computer games, watching movies and shopping.

Alex and Scott’s kindness and Jack’s passion was inspiring and they were an important part of my experience in Australia. It amazes me how welcoming this family is, opening up their homes and showing so much hospitality to me. I will never forget them and here, I want to give my heartfelt thanks to them for their warmth and generosity.

Study in UQ
Studying in one of the top 100 universities worldwide is exciting. The two-week experience in UQ is really eye-opening. It gives me the opportunity to meet new people. You get to know the local and international students, giving you an international friendship.
By interacting with people from various culture backgrounds, I started to respect the difference between us. After communicating with others, I get first-hand information about what their customs are really like rather than getting the false message from some media. For example, there is misunderstanding of Arabic women’s wearing. It is not the fact that they just expose their eyes while walking on the streets. I even gain new ideas and perspectives about my own culture, beliefs and values.

There is also no better and more effective way to improve English than living in a place that doesn’t speak your first language. Being surrounded by the language every day and hearing it used in context, is great for our language skills. I feel like I’m better in listening and speaking after the study tour.

Transport
Brisbane is the state capital of Queensland. It is one of Australia’s most popular travel destinations. With a gocard, we can go to our destination by train, bus or ferry. There is a railway station near my homestay. Every day, I go to school by train and bus. Bus schedules in Australia are pretty different from Macau’s’, they don’t work as frequent and often left work early. Once we miss a bus or train, we may have to wait for another hour. This really challenges us to encounter situations that are wholly unfamiliar to us and will learn to adapt and respond in effective ways because we were forced to check the bus and train lines before we go out anywhere. However, this reminds us to be independent and well prepared before any events.

Places of interest
Traveling is what you can’t miss while being in a new place. Weekends and academic breaks allow us to venture out and explore our surroundings. During our short stay, we went to the Moreton Island and it was amazing. Though we had to get up early to catch the ferry, it definitely worth it. The water was blue and shining under the sun. In the morning, we went snorkeling. It was my first try and it is great fun to have fish swimming next to you. We went sand boarding in the afternoon and with absolute speed, it was exciting too.

All in all, this study trip gave me an experience that a classroom setting will never provide. I will never forget this life-changing and rewarding journey. Thanks again for MPI to give me this chance to study in Australia.