Wing Cheung Alan To

The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Exchange to University of South Australia, Australia

Exchange life at the University of South Australia (UniSA) has been amazing and given me a wealth of inspiration and international exposure.

Life on Campus
UniSA is a big international university with students from all around the world. Academic life here is very different to what I had experienced in Hong Kong. Students participate actively in classes and often ask critical questions. One of the most exciting things is that all my classmates have come from different parts of the world, including Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas. During some courses, for instance the “International Relations” course I had enrolled in, the enthusiastic and intense debating is even more inspiring, as we have real “delegates” from all around the world.

Outside of the classroom, we all shared our experiences and culture. This has greatly aroused my interest in different cultures, given me a deeper understanding and broadened my horizons.

Cultural Exchange
Australia is a multicultural country and the amazing harmony of different races can be seen here. People respect each other and there is no discrimination. This makes me think of the minorities in Hong Kong society and the attitude we have towards them. I am taking a course on “Australian society and cultures” here and I hope to gain a sharper understanding of this issue.

I have had many opportunities to experience “culture shock”, enabling me to review and rebuild some of my inherent personal values that I have had since I was born. I am now renting a house in a suburb of Adelaide with one Italian and 2 German exchange students. In my daily life, I have met a lot of nice new friends through school societies and the western habits of “going to the pub” and “house parties”.

The culture shocks are big to me and I have taken some time to adapt. One of the major differences is that westerners are very sociable, enthusiastic, and they can drink a lot! It was a tough problem for me at the beginning. For example, how to enjoy yourself with them in the western way? How to dance in the pub with music that is so normal and basic for them? Though Hong Kong is a melting pot of western and eastern cultures, it does not mean that every student can act both cultures out in most aspects.

Luckily, we are still young. Young people can adapt to new environments easily and I have made many new good friends here. Gradually, I have found that the western mindset and style has become part of my own. At the same time, it is of great excitement that my western friends have a strong interest in China as well and sometimes I teach them the terribly complicated Chinese letters (in their view).

Excitement as an Exchange Student
Traveling and participating in the extra-curricular activities are just some of the awesome things I can do in Australia. Surfing and swimming in the well-known beaches in Australia are THE THING that cannot be missed. The weather here is dry and hot (an average of 39oc in February 2008). Going to the beach is the right thing to do. Sunbathing and engaging in some chitchat with strangers next to you is very common. Usually, people are willing and happy to talk here even if they don’t know each other. This is probably because of the atmosphere of harmony in the country.

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