If you are looking for a chance to take a break during your course of study and want to have an unforgettable experience at the same time, an exchange program will undoubtedly be the best choice.? During my third year of study, I spent a full academic year studying abroad at University of California, Davis.

Studying in another country was a totally new experience. Life in the beginning was quite a challenge. Things as simple as greeting and chatting with friends, or asking questions during lectures would become a difficult task if you were not confident enough. Luckily, I have met a lot of friends coming from both local and other countries such as Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, etc. Speaking with them made me gradually used to converse in English and got over the adaptation period. Personally, I consider it is very rewarding because I am now no longer afraid of speaking English in front of people and have a lot of friends who are from different places.

With only around 65,000 residents, Davis is a medium-sized city located in Northern California, about one hour east of the Bay Area and 15 minutes west of Sacramento. The slow pace of the living culture and calmness of the city provide a great contrast to the prosperity of Hong Kong. Although the city is not as entertaining as in Hong Kong, there are plenty of enjoyable activities you can participate in from visiting the Bay Area and taking a walk on the Golden Gate Bridge, to learning how to throw a Frisbee and taking a bowling course at the game area on campus. However, among all of them, my most-missed activities are probably the snowboard and ski trips. I had no idea how fun it is until I stopped falling down and managed to glide down the slope in breath-taking speed that is the most fun and exciting sport that I have ever tried!

Going on a trip is also a good idea to spend the holidays. During the Christmas and the New Year, I flew all the way to the East Coast and visited New York and Pennsylvania. This is such a remarkable and memorable trip as my friends and I were fortunate enough to be able to squeeze into the crowd and celebrate on New Year's Eve at Times Square. I have also been to Las Vegas during the spring break and learnt quite a lot about the glamour of the entertainment capital of the world. And of course, being a computer science major, I would not miss the chance visiting Silicon Valley, the famous high technology business area.

I am glad that the exchange program has given me the chance to reach out the world and has broadened my horizon. I highly recommend everyone to give it a try because I truly believe the oversea experience will be the most precious and fruitful time in college life.