Conclusion

Now, I am much more confident when I talk to my tutors or answer their questions. Moreover, the trip helps a lot in my part time job. I work as a customer service assistant in the airport. I am now able to give directions in English more fluently to the tourists in airport and communicate with them more effectively.

I use different expressions learned in the trip when I talk to fiends. I also explained to them the different expressions of Hong Kong and Australian English.

When I have new friends from Australia, I will be mindful of the Aussie etiquette and avoid asking him questions about money such as how much he makes.

When I come back to Hong Kong, I share the experience in Australia with my friends. I explain the differences in dining habits using the example that I observe in the Chinese restaurant in China Town. Aussie has own ways to enjoy dim sum. On the other hand, I also tell them the shops there close early compared to Hong Kong. Some of them even close on holidays. Australia has much slower pace of life compared to Hong Kong.

Aims	Achieved?
1. To communicate effectively in English in real life situations, especially when interacting with native English speakers in a foreign country.	√
2. To identify the expressions used in different situations, e.g. when engaged in social situations, or official visits, when interviewing locals etc.	√
3. To act appropriately when interacting with locals and the people you will meet when engaged in visits, data collection etc.	√
4. To describe some of the differences of the daily life habits / culture of the community / country of destination and those of Hong Kong and demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the diversity of values of different cultures of different peoples/ countries.	√

Week 2

Day 8

We had an adventure in the Blue Mountains. We were divided into groups and required to finish serve tasks. We had to listen to the tasks and read instruction. This really brushed up my listening and reading skill. When we were not sure about the direction, we ask locals and the staff. This was a great opportunity to interact with native speakers. Finally, we finished all the tasks successfully.

For the lunch, we were supposed to have BBQ lunch. However, only the sausages were roasted and we had salad and sandwiches. I realized that we had different definition of BBQ with Aussie due to the cultural difference.

Day 9

We had 2 seminars in the morning. The first one was about multiculturalism in Australia. I learned that Australia is a multicultural country that many foreign cultures coexist harmonically. The multiculturalism can be reflected by the availability of different cuisine. I also learned that it is impolite to talk about money in Australian culture. We should not ask questions like how much you make and how much your watch costs.

The second one was about Australian English. We learned the history of Australia English. There were three main varieties of Australia English: broad, general and cultivated. Different accents are used according to the social class and educational background of the speakers. The most common one was General Australian English.

We wanted to try Chinese food in Australia so we went to a Chinese restaurant in China town. There were two Aussie on the next table. The way they ate shrimp dumplings grabbed my attention. They added soy sauce and pepper to the dumplings and cut it into half with fork and knife. It was very different from the way we eat shrimp dumplings. On the other hand, the dumplings were served by pieces but not steamer. People have different ways to eat and serve Chinese dim sum, compared to Hong Kong, in Australia. I really appreciate the modification that they made to fit with the dining habits of Western. This represents the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures in Australia.

Day 10

We visited the Sydney Opera House. We joined a tour of the House. The tour guide introduced the history and different theatres of the Sydney Opera House. I felt the excellent construction when we explore the Sydney Opera House. I kept on practicing my listening because we always have a tour guide.

We visited the Taronga Zoo in the afternoon. We saw different unique Australian animals and read up on Australian wildlife. I knew more about particular animals in terms of their habits. For example, the koalas sleep as much as 20 hours a day because the eucalyptus leaves are difficult to break down.

Day 11

We had a seminar, which was given by an artist. From him, I knew more about the TV industry of Australia.

We visited the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Ultimate Centre. This was a valuable opportunity for us to see the scene behind the TV shows and the daily operation of Australian TV industry.

I lost my favorite necklace on the way from the college to the coach. I looked for it after coming back to the college. I met a security guard of University of Sydney. He helped me to look for the necklace but we didn’t find it. I chatted with him for an hour. He thought that people in Hong Kong live in houses like Australian. I explained to him that we have to be very rich to live in a house. We shared a lot about our cultural differences. We had a smooth conversation and it was the first time I chatted with native speakers in real life situation for so long.

Day 12

We had presentation session in the morning. It was the last afternoon that we enjoyed in Australia. We decided to take a bus randomly and went to somewhere that we haven’t been before. We dropped off at a township and explored along the street. We experienced a different lifestyle from urban Sydney and had a relaxing afternoon.

Day 13

Australia is famous for its fresh seafood. We went to the Sydney Fish Market to enjoy the seafood. By exploring the Fish Market, I understood that Aussie make a good use of their resources. They combine fish market with food court. People can enjoy very fresh seafood.

Week 1

Day 1

I was immersed in an English environment at the moment stepping on the plane. I watched 2 English movies in the plane. Those movies even have no English subtitle. It was really a big challenge to me. It depended heavily on my listening and was a very good warm up activity to prepare me for the trip in Australia.

Day 2

It was my first day in Sydney. We wanted to go to Paddy’s Market to buy some souvenir. Aussie use "infoline" to mean "hotline". Due to the unfamiliar environment, we asked locals for direction and this provided me an opprounity to talk to native speakers in real life situation. We also enjoyed the great night view at Darling Harbour.

Day 3

We visited the Australian Museum in the morning. In the museum, I read up on different Australian species like birds, insects and marine life etc. The biodiversity of Australia is totally reflected in the process.

In the afternoon, I enjoyed the great view of Sydney in Sydney Tower. It was refreshing to have the whole view of the city on the highest tourist attraction in Sydney. I could feel a slower pace of life of Sydney in this highest position.

In the evening, we went to the Sydney Observatory to watch the stars. The guide explained the pattern of stars and history of the stars to us. We also watched the stars with naked eyes. The guide explained to us that the stars were in “rhombus” shape. However, I didn’t understand the word and I had to ask for the meaning and spelling. But I was happy that I learned a new vocabulary.

Day 4

It was the New Year Eve. We had lunch at George Street and we decided to go to Circular Quay to countdown. I asked locals for direction and finally found the right way.

We wanted to have beer to celebrate the New Year and we wanted to buy 6 cans of beer. We pointed to the one we want and said that we needed six. The shopkeeper asked if we need 6 packs. For us, 6 packs mean 36 cans and we answered: NO, we want 6 cans. However, the shopkeeper still didn’t understand how many we want and asked if we need 6 packs. The shopkeeper finally understood when we emphasized 6 and pointed to the display product again. From this, I realized that Aussie use “one pack” to mean “one can” but we use “one pack” to mean “6 cans” in Hong Kong, so we misunderstood each other. This is one of the Aussie expressions and linguistic differences that I identified in the trip.

I talked to the locals when we were waiting for the firework display. It was interesting to know that the mini firework display at 9pm was for the kids because they have to sleep earlier. It was a great experience to enjoy such a fantastic firework display in Sydney.

Let’s enjoy the amazing firework display together!

Day 5

It was a free day and we planned the schedule by ourselves. We wanted to have lunch but did not know which direction we should go. We asked the staff at Sydney Visitor Centre for direction and suggestion. They were very nice to give us detail recommendation. Then we finally found a Japanese crepe restaurant at a food court. The crepe was delicious! After that, we visited the Royal Botanic Garden to learn the plants and horticulture in Australia. It was really a good place for us to relax.

I interacted with native speakers in real life situations when I ask for direction, taking orders in restaurant. .

I observed a phenomenon in Australia. There were many accommodation bars. The lower floor was a bar while the upper floor was hotel.

Day 6

We went to the Bondi Beach to enjoy the sunshine in Australia. We did shopping at Bondi Market. There were many things to buy including jewellery, hand-made accessory, clothes and books. The multiculturalism of Sydney was reflected in the diversity of the product. The products came from different parts of the world such as China, India and Japan. There were also local goods.

I asked the price and what the jewellery made of. The locals were very friendly to talk to us.

Day 7

We had wine tasting at different wine yards. The host introduced different wine to us. I learned that Aussie like to use abbreviation. A staff of the wine yard said that: I am going to get you some cheese and “bisy”. I realized that they used “bisy” for biscuits until I saw the biscuits.

Introduction

Pre-tour learning aims

1. To communicate effectively in English in real life situations, especially when interacting with native English speakers in a foreign country.

To help me achieve the aim, I watched English movies with English subtitle only such as Salt and Inception before departure. This really brushed up my listening.

2. To identify the expressions used in different situations, e.g. when engaged in social situations, or official visits, when interviewing locals etc.

To help me achieve the aim, I learned some English phrases in different contexts from the Internet before going to Australia. For example, Aussie use “chips” to mean “French fries” and “mate” to mean “friend”. Moreover, I planed to interact with locals in Australia and observe how they use different expressions in different situations in their daily life.

3. To act appropriately when interacting with locals and the people you will meet when engaged in visits, data collection etc.

To help me achieve the aim, I learned about Australia culture like local Aussie etiquette, especially their taboo from the internet before departure. For example, it is rude to eat or drink on public transport and we should avoid showing off as Aussie prefer humble and modest. I also planed to observe how locals act in different contexts in Australia.

4. To describe some of the differences of the daily life habits / culture of the community / country of destination and those of Hong Kong and demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the diversity of values of different cultures of different peoples/ countries.

To help me achieve the aim, I read about Australian culture before leaving Hong Kong. I also planed to observe how Aussie reacts with us in different contexts. Most importantly, we should always keep in mind that different cultures have different values and we should respect the differences.

Life in Australia