Science Student Exchange Programme

Cherry Gao

Exchange Year (2004-2005)
University of California, Santa, USA

Whose dream are you living? This is the question I have wanted to find the answer to before I went on exchange to UCSB. After one year of exchange. I cannot say that I have found the exact answer to this question. Yet, I am certain that I know myself and what I want out of life much better than before.

My major is Risk Management Science. A busy academic life, as far as I could remember, has always been a major part of my life. I used to get so tired from studying, that sometimes I felt my passion for other things in life might have extinguished. This was part of the reason I decided to go on exchange. For me, going on exchange meant a year-long sabbatical to explore things I had always wanted to learn. I selected a variety of classes outside of my major, such as Women’s Studies, Philosophy, Global Studies and Communications.

These classes opened my eyes to a world beyond what I had grown comfortable to. Sometimes I was really ashamed of my ignorance in such diverse fields, because I believe that every individual should be sensitive to what is happening in the global context. Yet, this was exactly what I lacked of in the past. What are human rights? What is the impact of globalization in economic, political, and technological terms in different countries?

As I engaged myself in reading about different topics, I rediscovered my passion for life, and the curiosity and desire to learn. This might be the best feeling one could have while studying. Although the courses I took while on exchange seem unrelated to Risk Management Science, I am confident that they have influenced my way of thinking and my understanding of the world around me.

I have also made many friends from all over the world during my time on exchange. I even went on a road trip across the United States with three of my friends. This has been a fruitful year. Before I left California, I wrote this short poem and I would like to present it here to conclude my exchange experience sharing:

Time to say goodbye, but it shall not be the end.
Dry your tears and carry on, you know it is the way life is meant to be.
Fill it with your dreams
Next time you see me, I promise that you shall be proud of me.
Goodbye America, Goodbye my friends
as I drop a tear and bid adieu
You know that my fond heart, shall pant for you
Until the day we meet again.