Someone said: There are a thousand Melbournes in the eyes of a thousand people. ?I have no doubt about this. Artists, financiers, students, sports enthusiasts, and immigrants of all types can find their own perspectives in this tolerant city. And to me, what is Melbourne as a Chinese student? What attracts me most about Melbourne is the infinite possibility of not knowing where I will be many years later; it is the ability to survive in any country and a completely unfamiliar place. The ability; the plain mentality of pursuing simple dreams; the strong heart of learning to solve all things by oneself.
Maybe it’s because I stayed in Shanghai for four years in college. After coming to Melbourne, I didn’t feel any discomfort at all. Instead, I felt like we met at a later date and felt like old friends at first sight. When I first arrived in Melbourne, I lived in the West End, which is a sparsely populated area and became very quiet after dark. It was rare to see pedestrians on the roadside. Later, after comprehensively considering many factors such as the distance to school, transportation, shopping, going to the library, and roommates, I moved to the central city. Completely different from the "quietness" of the Greater Western District, the Central Business District feels lively and convenient every day.
Walking in the streets of Melbourne, you can see street performers playing various kinds of music with various instruments everywhere. Whenever night falls, people from different countries always gather by the Yarra River. They enjoy the night while sipping wine or coffee. Australians’ life philosophy is the same as their coffee culture: taste slowly and live well.
I remember one time when my classmates and I were returning from the Australian Chinese Debate Competition, we saw a well-dressed pregnant woman sitting on a bench with her husband and two children. While drinking coffee, I couldn't help but marvel at how comfortable and leisurely the locals live. For Australians, family is the most important thing. ?Family first!? Not just words, but also implementation in daily life.
As an international student, my life is similar to that of thousands of students. Most of them travel between dormitories and schools. Many people have a misunderstanding about studying abroad. It seems that most of the study-abroad parties are wealthy. They drink foreign wine, watch American TV series, go out and buy luxury goods every day, and can pass the exam by writing casually. In fact, the real life of studying abroad is tormented by different forms of tasks such as listening to lectures, taking exams, and writing papers every semester. Different from the strict rules of entry and exit of domestic universities, the foreign exam guide is "the ability to successfully cope with the accents of various countries, strong self-study ability and strong character fortune".
In addition to studying, studying abroad has changed me in every aspect. I like to be quiet but don't like to move, but I have developed a good habit of going to the gym every day in Melbourne, a sports city. Unlike in China, where you can get home-cooked meals at door-to-door restaurants, home-cooked restaurants, many international students live a life where Lao Ganma provides everything, and eggs and fried rice are fried for life. I have never been in the kitchen, but now I study various recipes every day on how to combine food to save money, time and nutrition. At this time, I often miss home and want to pamper my parents who love me.
Some people say that the more you see other countries, the more you will love your own motherland. A poem by Mr. Wu Yuzhang, whom I admire the most, often circulates in my mind: "I risked my life to get out of Kuimen, and I was determined to save the country and make it strong. It cannot be said that the East is lagging behind, and there are yellow people rising in Asia." ?So, I am full of pride, and I am happy no matter how hard life is and no matter how tiring study is. Chairman Mao Zedong once said in a poem: "Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, who holds the colors to practice dancing in the air? I always firmly believe that the rainbow always comes after the wind and rain! As long as you persist and work hard, you will be rewarded."
Of course, if you come to Melbourne and haven’t experienced the colorful life and done unique things, you’ll be at a loss. Here, there is the wonderful Australian Open Tennis, the exciting F1 Formula One race, the Melbourne Horse Racing Festival, and the annual Melbourne White Night Festival, etc. These unique tips come into my life one after another every year, and they add a lot of fun to my study abroad life.