One-Year Study in Australia by Li Jinkun
After the graduation from the university in Xi’an in 2001, I had been an English tour guide for over two years in Guilin, which is enjoying the reputation of having the most beautiful mountains and rivers in the world. The job was actually quite good because of the high income and lots of opportunities of travelling around the country. Having this job, I could have a very comfortable and relaxed life in that quiet city.
However, probably because the unknown things and environment always seem attractive, I had always been distracted by the curiosity towards the foreign countries. Is the outside world really wonderful? Is it a heaven or a hell? Can I have a better career development out of China? Like many young and ambitious people, I made up my mind to study abroad. After doing of a lot of research on the Internet, I chose Griffith University of Australia, for it enjoys the well-known reputation of the program of Master of International Tourism and Hospitality Management. I successfully got the offer from the university in March 2003 and lodged the application for a student visa in October 2003. In the end of the year, I got the visa and quit my job from the travel agent, flying to Gold Coast of Australia with my dreams and hopes.
Gold Coast is a beautiful tourist city on the east coastline of Australia. The 70km coastline features Australia’s largest expanse of calm water. It is a place of warm and welcoming weather with 300 days of sunshine a year. Griffith University is located in this charming city, which is excellent for travelling or leading a quiet and relaxed life, but probably not quite suitable for study. I still remember that on the first day when I came to the campus of Griffith University, I was a little bit disappointed, for the campus is quite small and it seems that it is located in a bush. The buildings are new and short and lack speciality and cultural atmosphere. Unfortunately I became more disappointed when I found that almost half of my over 100 classmates are Chinese — sometimes it made me feel that I was attending foreign teachers’ lectures in China! There is no doubt that this is not very good for me to improve my English level in such a language environment.
There is always a gap between ideal and reality. Accepting the fact, I started my studying life in Australia, but I didn’t expect that the study is that stressful. Believe it or not, I had never ever been studying so hard before, even including the period when I was preparing for the exam of entrance to university in China seven years ago. There is such a big difference of the studying system between Australia and China. In China, everything will be fine as long as I can pass the final exams of every course. But in Australia, students have to do oral presentations, individual or group assignments, mid-term exams and final exams. All of the above must be well done because each of them will be counted into the final assessments.
Presentations are not easy for the most of the Chinese students because we are never required to do presentations in China, and English is not our native language. Actually it proves that oral presentation is really a good way of study. It encourages students to speak in front of other people and deliver their opinions bravely. Through a year’s practice, I became more confident to do presentations without holding a single note in the hands.
The most difficult problem for the overseas students to overcome might be loneliness. There is a popular dialogue in our class. “Why are the Asian students so slim?” “Because we are too homesick.” Homesickness is always with me, particularly during the time of some Chinese traditional festivals. Actually most of the time my life of studying abroad is really boring. For one thing, I don’t have many friends or any relatives in a foreign country. For the other, it is quite hard for an overseas student to afford the entertainments and transportation because the living expenses are very expensive.
Working is a good way to overcome loneliness. On the other hand, the income from the part-time jobs makes my abroad life easier in Australia. During the first semester I got an opportunity of being a tour guide for the Chinese tourist groups around Brisbane and Gold Coast area. It maybe a very attractive one in many people’s eyes, but I quit that job at the end of the semester because I was keen to learn something more important than just making money. As an overseas student, I have been looking forward to working in Australian enterprises in order to learn how the Australian working system and management goes. The process of looking for a part-time job in Australian enterprise is very time-consuming and difficult, for most of the Australian companies always favour those people who have good and strong working experiences. After putting a lot of efforts on it, I finally got a part-time job as a food and beverage attendant in a very famous local enterprises — Warner Village Theme Parks, which includes Movie World, Sea World, Wet and Wild Water World and Paradise Country.
During the part-time employment at Warner Village Theme Parks, I learnt to work with a team and the great teamwork made me get used to work under pressure. This is really an excellent job, and I had a lot of fun in working, for most of the customers are very friendly and nice. A lot of people who were working with me are local university students. I was impressed that lots of Australian students afford their tuition fees by themselves through part-time employment. Compared with the Chinese students, the Australian young people are more independent from the families since they become 18 years old.
Furthermore, I had been doing a lot of other part-time jobs during my study in Australia, such as tutor, kitchen hand, and housekeeper. Each of the jobs is not easy, and sometimes I felt extremely exhausted by doing so many part-time jobs while studying, but the various part-time jobs offered me rich experience and made my abroad life more colourful. The more important thing is that I feel very happy and inspired that I am supporting myself in a foreign country and do not need the financial help from my parents any more.
On 1 November 2004, which is one of my unforgettable days in my life, I graduated from Griffith University. At that moment when I was in academic dress, I was so happy and just smiled during the whole day. After a year’s hard working, I finally harvest the Master degree of International Tourism and Hospitality Management. Yet it is only the beginning of the road to the future. I am now applying for a working visa and looking for a full-time job in the hotel industry in Australia after my graduation from the university.
Looking for a job in a foreign country is not easy, but I will never give up. After going through the past year, I become more confident in overcoming difficulties. The road is chosen by me, I have to keep going and never hesitate in front of cross of life. Having a goal of making an ideal career, I strongly believe that all of my efforts will bring me great success.
我非同寻常的留澳一年生活留澳一年
2001年我从西安的一所大学毕业，接着在享有“桂林山水甲天下”美名的桂林做了两年多的英语导游。因为不菲的收入和许多周游全国的机会，这份工作显得很不错。干着这份工作，在那个宁静的小城我就有了非常舒适和悠闲的生活。
然而，可能是因为不为人所知的事物和环境总是那么诱人，我总是被对外国的好奇心驱使着。外面的世界真的很精彩吗？是天堂还是地狱？在国外我能有一个更好的职业发展机会吗？和许多雄心勃勃的年轻人一样，我决心出国留学。在互联网上做了许多研究工作后，我选择了澳大利亚的格里菲斯大学，因为其国际旅游与服务管理方面的硕士课程在业内享有盛誉。2003年3月我收到这所大学的录取通知书，10月我申请了学生签证。2003年底，我拿到签证，辞掉了旅行社的工作，带着我的梦想和希望飞往澳大利亚黄金海岸。
黄金海岸是澳洲东部海岸一个美丽的旅游城市，70公里长的海岸代表了澳洲最大的静水区域。这里气候温暖、天气舒适，一年有300多天能见到太阳。格里菲斯大学就座落在这个迷人的城市，小城是旅行的好地方，可以过着安静舒适的生活，但恐怕不太适合学习。我还记得跨进格里菲斯大学校园的第一天，我有一些失望，校园很小，就像是座落在未开垦的丛林中似的。校园建筑崭新却低矮，没有特色，缺乏文化氛围。不幸的是当我发现100多名同学中竟有几乎一半是中国人时，我变得更加失望了，有时甚至觉得我是在中国上一位外教的课。毫无疑问，在这样的语言环境中想提高我的英语水平肯定不是很好。
理想和现实总是有差距的。面对既定事实，我开始了在澳洲的学习生活，但没想到学习会如此艰苦。不管你是否相信，我从来没有这样刻苦学习过，甚至七年前准备参加高考也没有这样刻苦过。中澳两国的教学体系差别巨大。在中国，只要我能通过每门课程的期末考试就万事大吉了。然而在澳大利亚，学生必须做口头发言，个人作业或小组作业，期中考试和期末考试。所有上面提到的作业都必须做好，因为他们中的每一部分都会计入期末考核。口头发言对大部分中国学生来说都不是很容易，因为在中国我们从来没有被要求做发言，并且英语不是我们的母语。实践证明口头发言是一个好的学习方法，它鼓励学生在众人面前开口说话，勇敢地表达自己的思想。经过一年的训练，我做口头发言时更加自信，并且不带一字稿纸。
对留学海外的学子来说最困难的问题可能是怎样克服寂寞和孤独。在我们班上有一组经典的对话：“为什么亚洲的学生如此苗条？”“因为我们太想家了。”思乡病时刻伴随着我，特别是过中国的传统节日的时候。实际上，留学生活中的大部分时光是很无聊的。一方面，在异国他乡我没有太多的亲戚朋友；另一方面，对留学生来说，很难有经济能力承担娱乐和交通费用，因为当地的生活费用很昂贵。
工作是排遣寂寞的一个好办法。此外，兼职工作的收入使我在澳洲的生活更加从容。第一学期，我得到了一个为中国旅游团队在布里斯班和黄金海岸做导游讲解的工作。这在许多人眼里可能很诱人，但在学期结束时我辞掉了那份工作，因为我渴望学习更重要的东西，而不仅仅是赚钱。身为留学生，我一直期望能在澳大利亚公司工作，以便了解澳大利亚的工作和管理制度是怎样运转的。在澳大利亚公司寻找兼职工作费时费力，因为大多数澳大利亚公司更青睐那些拥有良好和强大工作背景的候选人。经过多方努力，最后我在一家非常著名的当地企业——华纳村主题公园找到一份食品和饮料服务员的兼职工作。这家主题公园包括电影世界、海洋世界、狂野水上乐园和天堂农庄。
在华纳村主题公园工作期间，我学会了和团队工作，团队精神使我逐渐习惯了在压力下工作。这份工作真的很不错，在工作中很有乐趣，大部分顾客非常友好和蔼。许多和我一起工作的是当地的大学生。我对许多澳大利亚学生通过打工自己负担学费印象深刻。和中国学生相比，澳大利亚的年轻人自18岁以后就从家庭中出来，变得更加独立。
此外，我在澳洲留学期间还做过许多其他兼职工作，例如家庭教师、厨房帮手，甚至管家。每一份工作都不容易，有时我觉得在学习的同时做这么多兼职工作非常劳累，但众多的兼职工作丰富了我的工作经历，使我的留学生活多姿多彩。更重要的是，我很高兴也很受鼓舞，在异国他乡我终于可以养活自己，而不再需要父母的经济资助。
2004年11月1日是我终生难忘的日子，这一天我从格里菲斯大学毕业了。在穿上学位服的那一刻我欣喜万分，并且在随后的一天里都满面春风。经过一年的艰苦学习，我终于获得了国际旅游与服务管理硕士学位。然而，这只是通向未来新生活之路的起点。从大学毕业之后，我正在申请工作签证，希望能在澳大利亚的饭店行业找到一份全职工作。
在国外找工作可不是件容易的事，但我永不放弃。经历了过去的一年，我在克服困难时变得更加自信。选择了这条路，我就会一直走下去，决不在生活的十字路口徘徊。拥有了发展理想职业的目标，我坚信所有努力将给我带来巨大的成功。