Joanne and I were awarded the State Scholarship to study in Dublin City University, Ireland for one semester. Before we set out, we had prepared a lot including all kinds of paperwork, and as you know, we were so, so, so excited and could not help ourselves to imagine how our life would be in Dublin.
Dublin is capital of Ireland, with a large amount of population, so it was very easy to find out Chinese people in the street. This city was colourred with green, where lawns and trees were everywhere. The house and building were not so high here, and the highest in the city centre I had ever seen was about 15 floors high.
At first, we were faced with some difficulties in such a new country. In supermarket, we always need an electronic dictionary to help us read description on products. We were afraid of asking passers-by for help when we got lost. We were complained by our neighbor when we talked and laughed in our apartment. However, about two weeks later, we got used to the life style in Dublin and discovered how lovely this city was and how kind most people here were where everyone would say “Thank you” to bus driver before they got off.
In school, I had chosen 5 courses on both accounting and English language skills. The study schedule was not too busy as it was in China, but it really asked students to work hard after class. Except for final exam, we need to do group project, individual and group presentation, role play and live speech in class. It was quite interesting to work with people from different countries. In my Corporate Governance group, I had a teammate from Germany, who always finished his group assignment two weeks before deadline. We were influenced by his good habit, and we were always the first group who submit our homework.
I had made so many new friends here. We would share our ideas when we discussed our project, when we took part in extracurricular activities in clubs and societies, and when we celebrated New Year’s Eve in pub. My friends were curious about Chinese culture, so we invited them to join our “Chinese Night” party and cooked Cantonese traditional snacks like sweet soup for them. I felt glad when they said the food was delicious and kept eating. Although sometimes I could not understand their Irish jokes, they would patiently explain to me as we did.
This exchange programme had brought me knowledge, friendship and global mindset. I believe, as time goes on, this amazing trip will not fade out in my life.
——2011Accouting Zhou Yun
2011Accounting Huang Xiawei
