My second year in IPM has just started for 3 weeks' time and I can truly feel that how harsh this academic year will be. However, whenever I feel desperate and stressful, I will always remember the wonderful time which I spent in Australia this summer, it is really one of the most wonderful and unforgettable memory that I have in my life.

The idea of applying for this overseas study programme should date back to the very beginning of the second semester of year one. At first, I really didn’t realize there was an overseas study programme until my classmate told me and I thought it should be a precious chance for me to broaden my horizons by visiting foreign countries. At that moment, I truly believed that academic performance was one of the most important criteria for the acceptance of this overseas study programme. Therefore, I have tried my very best on academic stuffs in order to seek for an opportunity to go Australia. Finally, I was most pleased to be informed that I was one of the successful applicants in this overseas study programme in late April. One week before I go Australia, I felt extremely excited yet nervous since I was going to a totally different environment and there were a lot of uncertainties, such as the new classmates, the family of the homestay, the university environment, etc. But there was one thing I was pretty certain: I was looking forward to the new challenges in Australia.

Throughout this overseas study programme, I should separate it into two different aspects: Inside the school and outside the school. First of all, the university that we were going to study for two weeks is the University of Queensland (UQ), which was a really spacious and well-rounded university with plenty of green environment where many local students spent their leisure time, and also there were many buildings with wonderful architecture of which we couldn’t help taking photos. Moreover, the teaching methods in UQ was totally different from those we had in Macau, the lectures were really interesting and interactive, which drove us to pay full attention on every single classes. On the other hand, we have had a lot of more fascinating and wonderful events outside the UQ. I thought we were all quite lucky since we have got a chance to go to an agricultural show of Queensland, which is called the EKKA. It consisted of many different kinds of event, such as competitions, award-giving ceremonies, educational displays, etc. It was a pleasure to visit since we all took a giant leap to get to know more about the culture of Queensland. On the second week, we went to visit a theme park which was called the Movie World at Gold Coast and we have had a great weekend there. On the next day, we visited the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, there were a wide variety of animals which only appeared in Australia, such as Koalas, Kangaroos, Tasmanian devils, etc. We also got a chance to take photos with the lovely Koala and fed the Kangaroos. It was really a memorable moment in my life. On the last few days of the journey, we also visited the Queensland Art Gallery, the Gallery of Modern Art, as well as a large shopping center in Brisbane. I thought we have got wonderful time in these two weeks in Australia.

What I could say about these two weeks in the Australia is just wonderful and memorable. First of all, I have to give thanks to MPI for granting me this opportunity to take part in this programme. In this very short period of time, I met many new friends both from our own school and UQ. Also, the short stay with my homestay family in Australia, I have not only learned how to take care myself, but also learned how to cope with different people from different parts of the world and I am really grateful for the meals and daily care. I also get my English level improved. All in all, I look forward to interacting with students from all over the world again so that more people are able to know about my hometown, Macao, and her unique culture.