In the beginning, I was a little worried about the cultural differences between Australia and China. I was afraid of making mistakes in my homestay family. But my opinion changed when I arrived. During the three weeks, I spent a fantastic time with my Hungarian family. They were very nice, friendly and easy-going. They welcomed me and always talked with me. They have been a host family for more than twelve years and they are interested in different cultures. They drove me to visit local markets and beaches at the weekends. We had a birthday party for their sister’s grandchild. It was an amazing experience for me to meet and talk with many people at the party. And I had two roommates who came from Indonesia and China as well. It was a fresh and unforgettable time for me.

In the study programme, I learned about communication, business emails, small talks in Australia and so on. We had good trainers and they always did some funny activities with us, like debating and interviewing with foreigners who work in Australia. We had Japanese students in our class too. It was fantastic that we experienced different cultures in Melbourne. We visited two companies during this study programme. The National Australia Bank (NAB) was impressive. We had to wear formal clothes and asked to show our passport before we entered. It was new for me to be in a national bank. I was so surprise of the buildings and design of NAB. It was fashionable and modern. I did not feel like I was in a bank. Some ladies introduced different information to us.

Life after class in Melbourne was colourful. Our campus is located in Chinatown in the city. Asian restaurants and souvenir shops were everywhere. It made me feel like I was in Asia. There was an Italian block in the city. Australia is a multi-cultural country. You can meet people from all over the world there. And I visited Queen Victoria Market three times there. It was popular in Melbourne and we could buy cheap souvenir there. The shopkeepers were from different countries as well; everyone was speaking English, but with different accents. As an art student, I went to some exhibitions in Melbourne. They were really British and American style but new for me.

I loved my Hungarian homestay family, my trainers and my team from Macau. I was really glad to meet different people during this trip. It was an amazing opportunity to be in Melbourne and have three weeks to experience the Australian culture. Thanks so much for giving me this precious chance. It was an unforgettable summer for me.