A magical place, a group of lovely classmates, a beautiful homestay family, a marvelous journey and a fantastic life, I have never forgotten these wonderful memories.

This story began in the morning. There was a handsome boy who arrived in Melbourne. He was nervous and anxious. At the same time, he was thrilled and excited. The reasons are that this was his first time to go to Melbourne. Everything was novel and interesting. This was also his first time to live with a homestay family. He looked forward to getting along with them. He did not know what will happen in the future. What were the challenges waiting for him? He just bravely stepped forward. Who is the handsome boy? Yes, this is me.

The first big challenge I faced is that I got lost when I took the bus number 903 to go home on the second day. I am very grateful there was a person, a kindly Australian woman to help me. Although she had no idea to help me initially, she tried to use her smart phone to search the location, giving me some suggestions and teaching me how to get back home. At that moment, my eyes were filled with tears. Even though we did not know each other, she still lent a helping hand. I deeply appreciated Australians’ enthusiasm and friendliness.

“Thank you!” is the phrase which I spoke a lot in my homestay. Host family is very nice. During these three weeks, they gave me a lot of support and encouragement. When I did something wrong, they provided the greatest degree of tolerance and understanding. Sometimes, I played a TV game with Eithon, the eldest son in homestay family, who was twelve year-old. We also chatted to share our experience and culture at dinner time. I felt I am not only an overseas student, but also a member in this family. Love can be simple. Although we do not out loud, I know love has always been there.

I studied at Monash College of Monash University. I loved there very much because the environment and atmosphere were good. I felt comfortable staying there. Further, I learned much practical knowledge and skills in this Global Professionals Program such as cultural diversity, work styles, the technique to start small talk, communication skills etc. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the class activities during the class since it established a cozy atmosphere for study and let us to communicate with classmates in English. This teaching method is vivid and interesting. It greatly enhanced my confidence to speak English.

In my opinion, students should not merely study the knowledge from books, experiencing culture of different places was important as well. I am so happy that there is an opportunity for me to improve my English competence and widen my vision. I have studied and seen a lot of things from this wonderful journey. Honestly, I really thank Macao Polytechnic Institute for letting me have this delightful, brilliant and memorable experience. It became the best part in my life.