First, I would like to thank Macao Polytechnic Institute for giving me a chance to join ‘Overseas Study Program' during the summer vacation. It was a really unforgettable experience for me and taught me a lot.

We joined 'Global Professional Program' held by Monash College, a specialist in academic and English pathway programs for students. The trainers are kind and professional, and the teaching method is totally different from MPI. There was a lot of interaction in the class. We had vivid lectures and discussion groups during the class. I could learn from other students who are from different cultural backgrounds during the discussions. They were very kind and willing to share their opinions and knowledge with me. It made me to become a more critical thinker. After this three-week program, I benefited a lot. First, I have learnt many useful business skills, such as how to present well and how to communicate well which will be helpful in my future career. In addition, Monash College arranged two industry engagements for us, which were really rare opportunities to visit these kinds of big organizations and companies like CPA Australia and Ford Australia.

In addition, living with a local homestay family was also a memorable experience for me. When I arrived, they hugged me, and I felt they were friendly. They prepared all the things for me I needed. Living with a local homestay family gave me a lot of opportunities to speak English with foreigners. I chatted with my host family every day and they shared their stories with me. Also, they gave me a lot of help. They made me feel like I was at home. Moreover, living with host family made me have a deeper understanding of Australian culture. They introduced to me some Australian pop music and Netball, which is a popular female sport in Australia. I really enjoyed living with them in these three weeks.

Besides studying, I travelled to a lot of landscape in Melbourne. The natural sceneries in Australia were really amazing and broadened my horizon. In addition, I hung out with my classmates who are from Macau, Japan and Shanghai. They shared a lot of their experiences that happened in their hometown. It made everyone closer, and we built global friendships with each other.

This program has helped me to know more about myself and trained me to become more independent. For example, I needed to go to the city campus to have lessons by public transportation. In the morning, I needed to get up early and take a bus to the train station. Then, I needed to take a train to the city, and I had to walk to the campus. All of our classmates lived in different suburbs and we needed to go to school and back to our homestays individually. It was good opportunity to train myself to become more independent.

After finishing this program, I found my English had some improvement. It improved my accent and I learnt many new vocabulary. Also, I have confidence to communicate with foreigners by using English now. I don’t feel shy expressing my opinion in English anymore. Moreover, I really appreciated that MPI gave me an opportunity to study overseas in Melbourne Australia.