My experience
I chose the short-term exchange program to SWUFE as it was an International Summer School for Economics and I felt that this experience in China would prepare me for a more global career in the future. In addition to this, my work has a manufacturing unit in China and I would be travelling to the factory quite often, the cultural experience and immersion I gain from this short-term program would be extremely beneficial for my future work trips.
How has the experience changed you?
I believe that the short-term program to SWUFE has opened me up to the diverse cultures in the world. The short time I spent in China helped me appreciate the cultural and societal differences between the two countries and also allowed me to gain from the experiences of other exchange students from around the world. Personally, I am more open and appreciative of others and I feel that I am now more understanding and empathetic towards people of different backgrounds.
Academically, I was very interested to note China's various economic policies and also impressed by the engineering development that they focus on in the nation. I doubt a lot of the policies and plans would work as seamlessly in a Western context but it was very interesting to see how efficient the system was.
Favourite memory
My favourite memory from the trip will have to be the time a family that was dining at a street hotpot restaurant invited me and my friends to join them for dinner. They could barely speak English and we spoke minimal Chinese but the whole experience was extremely heartwarming and gave me a bigger appreciation for the human spirit around the world.
Top tips
I would definitely recommend future participants to give everything a go at least once. The Chinese experience is incomplete without fully immersing yourself in their food, culture and activities. A very interesting thing to note is that the 'obscure' food items in China actually taste (disappointingly) 'normal' and you should give it a go!
Funding
I received a 1000AUD UQ Employability grant and this was extremely beneficial in my budgeting for the trip. The grant basically covered my flights to China and ensured that I did not have to struggle too much in order to fund my Chinese trip.