Lu Jin

East China Normal University, China
Exchange to Flinders University, Australia

As a fourth year student in China, I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to come to Australia as an exchange student in my last semester at university.

When I arrived here, as I expected, the fantastic weather and environment really excited me, but what impressed me most was the social and cultural atmosphere.

Kind People
The kindness of the people was the most important factor in helping me get over the feelings of homesickness and loneliness, which I experienced when I first arrived. On the second day after my arrival, I asked an old lady at the bus stop the way to the bank. My English was not very good at that time, so she not only patiently told me the position but also showed me on the map. Even when she was getting onto her bus, she was still telling me the directions to make sure that I would not miss the spot. At that time, I felt that the people around me were so kind that I stopped panicking about the strangeness of this new country.

Attractive Culture
I got to know Australian culture largely from one of my topics, Australian Studies, in which we talked about different aspects of Australian culture during our seminars. Also, the activities in South Australia History Week gave me a lot of information about the cultural environment. I visited Adelaide Town Hall and Ayers House, the Baptist Church and the SA Museum. I learned a lot about the Aboriginal culture, as well as the European culture here, both of which interested me.

Public Awareness of the Importance of Environment
People’s great concern about the environment here is what I find most surprising. During our field trip, we visited Swan Reach. The guide told us about the impact of drought on the river’s ecosystem and the measures being taken to minimize the negative effects. When I visited Cleland National Park, I also got to learn about how the timing of visits is taken into consideration to reduce the stress on the koalas. I think this symbolizes the harmony of people and nature here, apart from their general warmness that I mentioned above.

Apart from enjoyment, there were challenges too which were far beyond my expectations. However, I found that it was the challenges I faced here that helped me to make the greatest progress, especially with my academic studies.

Actually, academic study became one of the favourite parts of my stay in Australia. I found the teaching and learning style here has stimulated my interest in study greatly. I have spent a lot of time in the library reading books about both my major and other subjects. Discussions with classmates in seminars have helped me to not only understand the topic better, but also to know more about Australia in such a short time. The reports that we had to complete have also improved my writing ability and English skills.

Although it can be tough for international students to study in a foreign language, there are many people here willing to help with any difficulties. We can have a discussion with tutors and can drop in at the Student Learning Centre as well.

What’s more, the two field trips I attended were really unforgettable experiences for me. I viewed fantastic landscapes, learnt more about the unique culture, and, more importantly, learnt the way of applying the theory we studied in class to the actual industry.

What I have learned and gained from this four-month experience is too much to be summed up in a passage. Everyday has been exciting and challenging for me, and fruitful. My time here has greatly enriched my knowledge, enlarged my perspective and developed my ability in many aspects. It has even changed my way of thinking, providing me with a broader perspective that will benefit me all my life.

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