First acquaintance with Melbourne
With my twenty-eight-inch heavy red luggage and a load of beautiful images of Australia, I got on the big passenger Cathay Pacific plane from Hong Kong to Melbourne, finally. This is the image I have been expecting for two months. My heart seemed to have flown to Australia since I knew I was chosen for the overseas study program. I always thought I had some predestined relationship with Melbourne. The first time hearing about this city, I fell in love with this beautiful name, I was sure I would come to this city someday, and here I was.

Australia is in the southern hemisphere, where it has opposite seasons to Macao. The study program was in August, which is the winter for Australia. As a result, we got on the plane wearing T-shirts and shorts and got off the plane with heavy overcoats.

Stepping out of the airport, I felt the warm welcome from the Melbourne sunshine. Though the weather was cool, the sunshine was strong and brightened the whole city. The sky was clean, neat and blue without a trace of impurity; the trees and bushes on the roadsides were luxuriant and vibrant, which were like flowing green rivers. Although I didn’t get enough sleep on the plane, I could not help looking at the passing views on the bus to Monash University. From the moment I arrived in Melbourne, I wanted to see everything I could and keep them in mind.

Monash University, the palace of knowledge
Monash University was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the State of Victoria. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL, and is the only Australian member of the influential M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers, Universities and National Academies. The first day’s meet-and-greet was arranged in the Monash University (on Wellington Rd, the suburb of Australia). The campus was big and beautiful, full of the fresh smell of Melbourne’s winter. However, the campus we went for study was in the City. It is an office block, surrounded by shopping malls and restaurants. Every morning, I see people walking hurriedly to their destinations in this busy metropolis. Some stop for a minute at the bakery or the sushi bar for a simple breakfast. All the people here seem to have goals for their lives, and even the handsome ballad monger sing positively and diligently everyday on the street, passing his impressive smiles to everyone passing him. To tell you the truth, I really fell in love with this city.

On the first day of school, our teacher showed us around the place. The studying center in the CBD is used especially for international students with Global Professionals Program. Besides us, who were there to study Business, there are also international students studying accounting, international law and other subjects. The center is not very big, but contains everything a school should offer, well-arranged classrooms, computer rooms, locker room, Activity & Tea area and kitchens. I especially like the classrooms’ interior design. The chair and the desk are integrated together, and the whole piece is moveable. You can sit wherever you want in the classroom (you can sit in the front if you have the mood to speak actively in the class; you can sit far away from the one you hate and you can choose your own partner by sitting near to him/her). The classroom has three whiteboards, one is in the front and the other two are moveable. You can use them freely during teamwork, which enhances studying efficiency. The classes are always interesting and inspiring. Rather than considering us as the passive information receivers, the teachers there focus on cultivating our aspiration for studying and the quality of learning. Moreover, we didn’t just learn academic knowledge in the classes, but also team spirit, independent thinking ability and adaptive capacity.

Homestay---My families in Australia
“I knew it, it must be you!” Chelsea (the daughter of my homestay family) told me this later after the first meeting between the homestay families and the students; “ I knew it’s you that will stay with us for the next three weeks.” She didn’t tell me why she thought that, but I could understand, for I felt the same as her. Chelsea is a nine-year-old beautiful cutie. Her mother, who is also my mother in Australia, Lee is a policewoman. The father John is a banker. They are nice, considerate, and warm and knowing them is my greatest gain in Australia. They cared for me like my family, cooked me delicious meals and took me to see kangaroos. The happy days were passing by quickly and the day of parting arrived. We all wept on that day, but I had promised them to come back one or two year later.