Nguyen CHAU

Student of Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
Exchange to Hongik University, South Korea

I was a part of an experience of a lifetime, something that I hold very closely to my heart from all the memories that remind me of the good time I had overseas. During the Spring Semester of 2015 in my second year of university, I went on a journey to Korea by myself as an exchange student to represent Australian academics as well as find myself as an individual yearning for adventure and exploration.

Living in a Western environment all my life, I had to learn to assimilate quickly into the Korean culture to ensure that I would be able to study and grow - as Korea is known for its energetic and fast-paced surroundings, it was something that I wasn't used too but learnt to embrace over the duration of my time abroad. The opportunity to be a part of a new culture, language and landscape taught me appreciation for the world; it helped me to pick up leadership skills, become independent and take initiative in an unfamiliar environment. I was always out of my out of my comfort zone, but somehow I felt like I fit right in perfectly. A definite highlight of my time in Korea was bleaching my hair crazy colours that I wouldn't have done at home.... It really made me stand out as an exchange student!

From the friends that I met and have become so close with too, to the array of cuisine that I fell in love with while indulging in culture, I feel so blessed to have been given this rare opportunity to go overseas. I don't think I've ever fallen in love so much with such an advanced country that still holds some of its natural wonders (islands like Namiseom and Jeju, a must!) in such pristine conditions.

I'd like to think that opportunity that the Cheung Kong Group provided me with gave me the courage to take a risk to study abroad. The exchange has given me a chance to appreciate and embrace a new culture and has played an important role in shaping who I am now as a final year student. It's opened up so many endless paths for me for my career and has given me a new appreciation and love for adventure and travel. A huge thank you to, of course, my parents who were so supportive of this opportunity for me and always cheered me on even while an ocean separated us.

I don't know who I'd be or where I'd be right now in this moment if I didn't take the chance to study abroad. It's been such an amazing ride.

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