Exchange Diary (CityU Students)

Time flies and I finally came back to Hong Kong. The last half year was a dream to me, an extraordinary and unforgottable dream. I experienced so many different things during this half year, including changing attitude, meeting new friends, experiencing different cultures etc.

I did have high expectation about excahnge before the trip, a lot of fantacy. But at the same time, I did also understand that I may have to gone through a lot of difficulties and delimmas. So I felt complicated before the trip. Attitude influence mind set a lot, I can only think of the negative side if I think in the negative way. Luckily, I always believe that a coin has two sides. When I lose something, I must have gain something at the same time. And it is very important to have such belief not only when I go exchange but in my entire life, to keep optimistic and striving.

I met so many different people during the last half year and they all inspired me a lot. Being an exchange student, I admire that I was not good enough at the beginning. Maybe due to the unfamiliar environment, I did not take much initiative to get to know more people in the first welcoming event for exchange students organized by the host university. But then I met a Spanish exchange student. He came to me and said” Remember, you are an exchange student! You do not need to be afraid. Just go and meet people, learn new things and enjoy your life here!” These words influenced me a lot and I always keep them in mind.

I found that such exchange experience to be very memorable. During the last half year, I met so many friends from different countries: France, Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Australia etc. We went picnic, dined, watched movie… And we still keep in touch with each other even though we now back to our own countries.

On the other hand, such exchange experience helps me to become a better person. Before going exchange, I was a person who easily gets panic if things do not goes with the plan. My professor joked that he hopes I will lose all my wallet, money and passport that I can learn how to stay calm when bad things happen. And just like what he wishes, I suffered many different dilemmas such as buying the wrong tickets and get lost when traveling. The first time I bought the wrong ticket, I was shocked and panic. I was emotionally upset and take quite a period to have emotional recovery and think of the solutions. But then, similar situations happened again and again, I started to get used to them and more importantly, I understand that there is always a solution. The most important thing is to “keep calm and carry on.”

Almost everybody envied me that I can travel in Europe. That is true and I am glad that I have such opportunity to travel around. I am always interested in different cultures and I believe that the best way to learn a culture is to experience it. The most unforgettable experience it the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton. It is such a grand event. And this is one of the many special experiences that I had.

Being thousands of miles from home was not always easy. But it was also an opportunity for me to learn. Being the eldest child in my family, I am taught to be a very independent person. I get used to take care of my own and my younger sister and brother, do all the housework, cook the dinner, handle all the sundry duties etc. However, I was still like a “princess” at home. My parent loves me so much and they always put me first. Although I love my parent so much as well, sometimes I was impatient when they talked to me. Being apart from them, I know how their love is important to me and I learned to cherish it.

Before going exchange, I had a lot of fantasy. Having tried to live a new life, meeting new friends, improving English, learning and experiencing different cultures… It was really fantastic in some aspects, but things are always two-sided: When you gain something, you always lose something. It is not pessimistic, but preparation. It is always good to adjust our attitude and thought in order to face the fickle environment. It is not pessimistic, but instead optimistic. It is always good to remember that things are two-sided: When you lose something, you always gain something.

Although I gone through a serious of difficulties, I did gain a lot far more than I expected including academic knowledge, personal moral, attitude and a lot more. These experiences are definitely unforgettable and critical in my life.