理工學生澳洲學習拓國際視野
張藝涵(會計學學士學位課程)
Zhang Yihan (Bachelor of Accounting)
It has been a long time after my journey in Melbourne, but I can still remember the first day I arrived in that fantastic city, when the beautiful rainbow and great sunshine were there to welcome us. I must say the overseas study is a wonderful experience for me, especially because it was the first time for me to go abroad. I really appreciate that MPI has provided us with such a good chance to broaden our global horizon and obtain the knowledge of cultural differences.
Talking about the unforgettable memories in Melbourne, the first I want to share with everyone is the experience with my best ever homestay family, with a great mommy and her three lovely little girls. At the beginning, I was not very confident with my oral English and worried whether they would like to communicate with me. It turns out that all my worries were unnecessary. The family welcomed me and the girls even greeted me in Chinese! During the three weeks, we spent great times with each other--we usually had some small talk after dinner, with topics related to food, local lifestyle, and even homestay mom’s work--because both of us are major in accounting, and the girls like to play with me. They even invited me to attend girls' school concert, treating me like a family member. Before I left, I prepared a dumplings dinner for them, which was my promise to my homestay family, and they liked it so much. Enjoyable times are always short. I will never forget this lovely family, with whom I have not only practiced my oral English, but also learnt the local culture and lifestyle.
Moreover, the Global Business Program we have taken was valuable, because we have gained more knowledge about local culture as well as the global business, which is important to the business major student like me. In the lectures, there were a great deal of interaction between trainer and students or among students, and the communication with students from other places like Japan helped us understand the multicultural environment better. In addition to the in-class learning, we also had some opportunities to go outside campus, like the museum and company visits. We went to the Immigration Museum in the city to gain more about the Australian history and culture. Before the visit, we all know that Australia does not have a long history like China and is an immigration country. But what I didn’t know in the past and what I have found out from the visit is that Australia is a country full of stories and there are immigrants from more than 200 different countries around the world. The most exciting experience for me, as an accounting student, was the visit to KPMG, one of the Big Four accounting firms in the world. The modern and tidy environment was attractive, but that was not the only point about KPMG. What made me feel impressive was that, even such outstanding people like those staff, who are competent and professional with their work, still value continuing learning much. Taking them as role model, I must endeavor to learn more.
Melbourne is a city that combines the modern and nature landscape, along with a multicultural background, so I had strong wish to travel around this city even before I went here. In my spare time, I explored many famous spots in Melbourne with my friends, wandering in the city with a cup of hot coffee, watching penguins returning to their home in Philip Island, feeding kangaroos in the zoo, going for a drive along the Great Ocean Road, viewing the night scene in Skydeck……all of these are like dreams flashing in my mind. I love this city where I can experience four seasons in one day, because it is changeable as well as reliable.
All in all, I am grateful for this overseas study, because it not only gave me so much memorable experience, but also made me think about what I treasure the most and what I want to achieve in the future.
陳倩婷(文學士學位課程-公共關係專業)
Chan Sin Teng (Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations)
Time flies very fast. I have been back in Macau after three weeks studying in Australia.
I remember the first day I arrived in Australia, I felt very nervous and anxious, and I also have high expectations. When we took the car to the host family, we saw a huge rainbow on the road, which made us very excited, because we think it indicated that our lives in Australia for the next three weeks would be lucky and happy.
When I met my host family for the first time, they greeted me with the warmest smile, which immediately made my uneasy feelings disappear. And while living with them, they always encouraged me and gave me confidence, that made me feel like I can do everything. They took care of me, cooked delicious meals for me, shared with me the interesting things in their lives, and let me feel that I really became a member of their family. We had a wonderful three weeks, and they made my trip to Australia more memorable.
The Global Professional Program at the Monash University was also fun and enjoyable. The teaching methods in Monash University are very different from those in Macao. There are many activities in the classroom, and there are also many group discussions to make our learning become more effective and interactive. Through this program, I think that I have become more aware of myself and more daring to express my opinions in English. I also made many new friends from different places through this course, such as Shanghai, Ningbo, Chengdu and Japan, and I could learn about their culture through our communication. This course has improved my presentation performance, making me less afraid to speak in front of people. That also taught me a lot of presentation skills, such as eye contact and body language, which are very useful for presentation. Though this program, I got a lot of unexpected gains. I know how to work with a team now. I also know more about what kind of skill an employer is looking for. I also learn more about Australia though this course. What impressed me the most was that we went to the Melbourne Immigration Museum, where we learned about the evolution of Australian immigration policy and the life of immigrants at that time. This experience is very interesting.
In my spare time, my friends and I went to several scenic spots in Melbourne, including Hosier Lane, State Library of Victoria, Puffing Billy, Melbourne Zoo, and so on. We planned our routes together, got lost together, took pictures together, ate delicious food together, and left good memories. What impressed me the most was travelling to the Great Ocean Road, where I saw lovely wild koalas and kangaroos. I really like the koalas, which made me very excited. And I also saw a lot of beautiful and natural scenery that shocked me, because Macau has no such scenery. This was very unforgettable.
At last, I would like to thank Macau Polytechnic Institute, Monash University, and all the people responsible for preparing this activity. Since I am a person who relies heavily on others, this trip has taught me independence, helped me to jump out of my comfort zone and made me gain a lot of self-confidence. I also want to thank my friends for taking care of me. Although the days we knew were very short, we have established a profound friendship. What I have learned from this activity will be useful to me throughout my life.
袁涌鑫(中英翻譯學士學位課程)
Yuan Yongxin (Bachelor of Arts in Chinese-English Translation and Interpretation)
While playing the piano and singing with my homestay family, I ended my last evening in Melbourne. Now it’s been three weeks since returning, sitting in front of my table in Macao and recalling all my wonderful experiences in Australia, I felt I was there again. I am very grateful that MPI provided me with such an opportunity to experience Australia for three weeks.
The Global Professionals Program provided classes related to business skills covering work styles, team work, planning and organizing research. I felt that after participating in the program, I became more independent and confident when facing difficult tasks. On 15th August, I went to Medibank for a half-day company visit and found that I was able to practice what I had learned in class. I communicated with the staff fluently and asked many questions related to personal insurance and health care. I also enjoyed the teaching method in Monash College which was dramatically different from in China. I thought the classes there were more interactive and relaxing. What’s more, the obliging staff at Monash Professional Pathways assisted me throughout learning and traveling in Australia. What’s more, I also learned about Australian culture—small talk during my class and daily life. When I bought a cup of coffee in Oakleigh East Train station, where I lived, the seller chatted with me as if we were old friends, which surprised me the first time. From then on, I knew that it was part of Australian culture to show that they are friendly.
During my spare time, I went to the Great Ocean Road, Melbourne Museum, Puffin Billy, Dandenong Mountain, Melbourne zoo, MoMA exhibition, Brighton Beach Bathing Boxes, London Bridge, Apollo town, The Twelve Apostles and so many fantastic scenic areas with my friends. It was when I saw the magnificent Twelve Apostles that I understood the power of nature. We also saw kangaroos, koalas and platypus in Melbourne Zoo and watched the sunrise in Apollo. During the visit to the MoMA exhibition at the National Gallery, I saw paintings from Picasso, Van Gogh, Cezanne, and my favorite painting The Persistence of Memory! I found myself absorbed in Melbourne, thoroughly.
The person who I miss most is my homestay mom—Zita. She is an outgoing and warm Malaysian woman who loves running, cooking, yoga and traveling. Both she and I are vegans, therefore she cooked a lot of traditional Indian and Malaysian vegan foods for me, such as Dosa, Multi Grain Rice Nasi Lemak, vegan pancakes, vegan ice cream and so on, which were all impressive. Dandenong Mountain, which is the biggest marathon held every year in Australia, to experience running in the jungle. She inspired me with her feminine charm, and we also chatted about the relationship between men and women, the nature of humanity, and meditated together. I am glad that my homestay family helped me a lot in my study, travel, and life. I felt like I was part of the family.
All in all, I love Melbourne, I love GPP! Although I couldn’t improve so fast during only three weeks, I believe it has broadened my horizons, improved my spoken English and helped me make more friends.
