An interview with a student studying at The University of Sydney

Railyn, nineteen, was a student at GDUFS originally whose major was Chinese. After half a semester, she transferred to the University of Sydney learning businiess. Now she has been studying at the University of Sydney for a whole month.  Let’s have a conversation with her and learn more about her life in Sydney. 

  
Q1：What did you expect before traveling abroad? Have your expectations been met, or even exceeded?

A1: I suppose I should say that I didn’t have too many expectations before I came to Australia. On the contrary however, the anxiety to my new life took up a large proportion of my heart. Although I have been in this country and studied at The University of Sydney for a whole month, honestly I am still in a period of adjustment. But I am quite satisfied with my life now, including the study environment and the daily life here. It might be stressful for me, but I’m keeping it under control. If I can meet more friends and be engaged in more activities, life couldn’t be better. Therefore, I will work hard on it. 

Quadrangle

Q2: What skills do you think will make your studies abroad easier?

A2: Wow, maybe it is not easy to understand, but in my heart, cooking skills are second to none! Honestly, I can’t get used to the food here. Sometimes I will buy some pizza, hamburgers, barbecue and pancakes just for sustenance. In other words, they are the last resorts. Moreover, with regard with the prices here, cooking by myself is the most satisfying and the most economical. Recently, I decided to start my own dining selling business in the Student Apartment building, so that I can make enough money for traveling and practise my cooking skills! (Laugh Out Loud)

Manning House

Q3: How do you spend your time outside the classroom? How do you get along with other international students?

A3: So far, I have taken part in few extracurricular activities because I haven’t been able to balance them with my studies. In addition, I haven’t adapted to the language environment here. What I believe is that when I am a freshman, I should lay the foundation for my ideal life, and it won’t be too late to join the activities after I get used to the environment in my sophomore year. Well, when it comes to the foreign schoolmates, they are much more friendly and easy-going than I thought before. But they don’t communicate with me much after class; maybe there are too many Chinese here, I guess……Can you imagine that a student from other country said that she once believed that she was in China after arriving in Australia!

  
Q4: Have you traveled? If so, what have you learned?

A4: I haven’t had a chance to travel yet, except to stroll around Sydney. Actually, during Easter I had decided to visit Cairns, which is famous for The Great Barrier Reef. However, I was so deeply immersed in my homework that I missed the best time to book tickets! I was freaking out because the travel expenses soared and I didn’t go there in the end. I have to point out that if there is another holiday in the future, I will book the tickets without hesitation.

University of Sydeney Business School

Q5: What challenges have you encountered? Did you become a better person after overcoming them? If so, how?

A5: I’m terrible with directions. Even though I want to hang out by myself, I worry about losing my way. The basic transportation in Australia is trains; sometimes I take the train going in the opposite direction or sometimes even take the wrong ones. Now if I want to go out, I would like to call my friends due to the safety problem. I prefer walking if I can reach the place I want to go within half an hour, relying on Google Maps Navigation. I believe that walking more enables me to be more familiar with the surroundings and cultivate my sense of direction. What’s more, I may come across some interesting boutique and various styles of graffiti on the street, allowing me to appreciate the exotic culture.