As I departed from Macau Ferry Terminal, I was excited and burning with expectation. This was also my first opportunity to look up at the glittery sky in the Southern Hemisphere and breathe in that breezy air. I grow up in Macau. As a city girl, I have never lived in a foreign local home stay nor fit in native culture and eating habits.

It is my pleasure to participate the ICTE program from the University of Queensland. We attended classes in the ICTE center. We visited around Brisbane Art Gallery, National Museum and Library, city center with the local students of the University of Queensland. We also visited the Port of Brisbane observing the imports and exports of the whole Brisbane; it is amazing! We also went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. We took pictures with the lovely koala, emu and kangaroo. We also learnt a lot of special animals in Australia and we had so much fun there.

I was even luckier to be there during the 2013 EKKA. It was all we talked about in and out of the campus. The EKKA is the annual agricultural show of Queensland, Australia. It is Queensland’s largest annual event. It aims to show Queensland’s culture, produce, resources and initiatives. This is done through a range of competitions, award ceremonies, exhibits, educational displays, animals and performances. There is a sideshow alley, showbag pavilion, numerous food and beverage outlets and a range of entertainment including two nightly fireworks displays. We took lots of picture with different animals exhibited in the EKKA. We ate the best recommended Strawberry Sundae Ice-cream in EKKA. It was one of the most unforgettable events in my life so far.

During the weekend, we travelled around Brisbane city. One of my favorite places in Brisbane is the South Bank. South Bank is a rare lifestyle precinct where the idyllic Queensland environment is seamlessly integrated with the cafes, restaurants, boutiques and cultural experiences that have come to characterize an inner-city lifestyle. I enjoyed the artistic atmosphere in South Bank.

I have learnt lots of Australian culture in this two-week study program. Brisbane is a relaxing and comfortable city to me. There are many supermarkets around the city and we enjoyed shopping and hanging around those supermarkets during our leisure time. Brisbane buses are completely different from Macau buses. There are no announcements in the buses about which stop you are; you have to pay close attention to the name of the bus stop you are passing by in order to know when you will press the bell to get off the bus. It takes me a few days to get familiar with my home stay bus route.

I’m so glad to have had a chance to be in a new country, to really get to know a country through this study abroad program, and to get to know so many good friends. It has made my life so much more remarkable and memorable. I am grateful for this brilliant opportunity that Macau Polytechnic Institute and University of Queensland offered. I believe there will be more and more students eager to join this abroad study program, stepping out of Macau and creating more memories and experiences in their student life, making their lives more incredible and extraordinary!