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One-Year Study in Australia
《留德十年》是学术大师季羡林在耄耋之年，忆及往昔写下的一部回忆录。1935年，青年学子季羡林赴德留学，开始了十年羁旅生涯。在赫赫有名的哥廷根大学，季先生几经辗转选定印度学为主修方向，遂对其倾注热情与辛劳，最终获得博士学位，也由此奠定了毕生学术研究的深厚根基。
事隔七十年，出国留学已“飞入寻常百姓家”，褪去了彼时的光环，但莘莘学子在异国他乡勤奋求学的故事仍在继续。时代不同，年龄不同，理想不同，《留澳一年》记叙的正是当代青年在异邦的奋斗历程。
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. |
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发表于 2016-7-10 11:27:22