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Disclaimer: All blog posts are written by students and do not necessarily reflect the views of UTS staff.

  • The journey that was 40K

    As I boarded my flight on December 28, I was full of anticipation for the two months ahead of me. I had never travelled to India before and while I had heard stories from people who had travelled there in the past and had gone on the 40K program, I still had no idea what to expect. Needless to say, it was one of the greatest and most rewarding experiences of my life.

    During the month of January, I spent the majority of my time living in Kannur, a rural village outside the city of Bangalore and it is here that I have the fondest memories of my trip. When I was told that I would be going into a local village to help set up a social business and facilitate its progression, I thought it would be hard work. In fact, it was even tougher than I first imagined but the fact that I was able to see the benefits to the local villagers first-hand inspired myself and my team to continue working hard and by the end, it seemed less like work and more like we were making a positive difference. We were able to find and employ two local woman, Lalita and Manjula to make our product and the look of jubilation on both their faces when my group told them that they would be able to earn an extra income to help their struggling families was a sight that I will never forget. This was essentially the reason why I decided to go on the 40K program; to make a difference by helping those that were not financially well off and to see first-hand how thankful they were made all the work we put in worthwhile. An added bonus was that they were making great, sellable products!

    Another thing that really stood out was how the villagers reacted to us being there and the relationships I formed with them. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the sight of 50 kids running towards me screaming in excitement when they realised that the next group of 40K Globers had arrived or how much my muscles ached the next day after having 6 kids hanging off my body at a time while asking us to carry them and give them piggy-back rides. Working with the kids in the 40K Plus Pods and facilitating their English lessons was also rewarding in that I was able to see how the money raised by the 40K Foundation was being used and I could see the benefits that some the of kids had obtained. More than anything, seeing this makes me want to go back in the near future and see the improvements that the organisation has implemented into the educational program based on our recommendations.

    After the program finished, I decided to travel around South India for the majority of February. This period of time really made me appreciate the bond I had with a lot of the other students who also participated in the 40K program. When you live and spend the majority of the month with a group of people, you either tend to love them or hate them. Thankfully they became my second family in the end so it was great to be able to travel with them after the program and experience everything India had to offer with people I was comfortable with.

    All up, I didn’t expect to love and enjoy India as much as I did. I didn’t expect to fall in love with the culture, the people, a simpler lifestyle and of course the celebrity status that comes with being an Australian in India. It was a humbling experience and one that I would definitely like to do again in the future.

    Global Short Programs Student

  • 40k Globe Program Bangalore

    40k Globe Program Bangalore

    In the summer of February 2015 I travelled to the city of Bangalore, India as part of a group participating in the 40K Globe program. I arrived in India from a two-week trip exploring Sri Lanka, which definitely helped with acclimatizing to the cultural shock and chaos of India. The streets of Bangalore are absolutely jammed packed with people and cars; there’s dust and dirt everywhere and the noise and colour tends to overwhelm the senses. However, before long I quickly adapted to the vibrancy and richness of the bustling life around me. I met many of my future 40K team members before the official induction and we all became fast friends exploring the city and the surrounding sights.

    After Induction at a restaurant just outside Bangalore, all 70 of us Globers were split into groups of 8 and sent to rural villages outside of Bangalore. We were all there to set up and run a social business that would use the skills of the local villagers and bring them a source of income. The village I lived in for one month was called Kannur and our team was running a project called Khushi.

    Khushi was a business that utilised the tailoring skills of village women to make some very groovy boy’s shorts and unisex long pants that 40K would then sell in the Australian marketplace. The business needed to be self-sustaining by the end of February, which was a big task as it was nowhere near completion when we arrived.

    The entire month in Kannur consisted of us forming a good working relationship with the two village tailors, making repeated bus trips into the city to visit fabric shops and cloth markets, talking to various designers and shop owners, as well as teaching local children in the 40K Plus Pod. This was undoubtedly one of the highlights of my experience in Kannur- to teach the local primary school children English for two hours every weekday. I was one of the lucky two people in my team to have this opportunity. It was truly wonderful to see the kid’s faces excited and happy to see us every day and they were always eager to hold our hands and sit with us in the classroom. The 40K organisation does a great job setting up these pods to teach English to these kids, who otherwise would not get the benefit of education in such a rural community.

    During our month in Kannur, we had the weekends off to explore the sights and scenery of India. One weekend many of the Globers and I went to Goa for a short holiday on its sunny beaches. Another weekend I spent in Bangalore, shopping and relaxing in the city. I spent quite a lot of time at Bangalore’s Chikpet markets, where the cheapest and best quality Indian clothing such as saris and salwar khameez’s can be found. I bought many colourful saris, bangles and bindis as presents for people back home.

    At the end of our last week, we managed to complete our Khushi project and employ one village woman to tailor boy’s shorts for us on a constant order each month until July. It was a successful end to a project that had many complications and problems. My team members and I had grown very close after living together for a whole month and we all were sad to leave Kannur behind us. On the final day of the 40K program, the coordinators organised a Holi fight for the 70 Globers on a mountainside.

    We were each given bags of colourful powder to throw at each other. It was a memorable and fun morning being covered and pelted at with colourful powder. That night we had a farewell dinner in Bangalore and celebrated the end of a month’s hard work on the various businesses.
    India is the most amazing and chaotic country. I truly loved the place and fell deeply in love with its culture, food and people. I had a fantastic time, and I can’t wait until I return back to its ancient shores.

    Sambavi Seermaran

    Global Short Programs Student

    February 2015

  • Broadening my Chinese Horizons

    Broadening my Chinese Horizons

    Having the experience to participate in the Sun Yat Sen University summer program has opened my horizons to potentially doing business overseas or taking up a graduate role in a different country. Having not been outside Australia in almost 8 years, it was a brilliant cross-cultural experience to be able to reflect on the differences between China and Australia.

    Also, coming from a Chinese background knowing a little amount of Chinese was a challenging experience to be able to communicate with the locals and find a deep appreciation for the language. Since I’ve been back, I’ve been learning a few words a day to maintain and enhance what I’ve learnt overseas.

    The business lectures presented to us by the university gave students a strong understanding of the cultural variations between the way that Australians and Chinese would do business and also the ability to understand foreign concepts that are not present in Australia.

    During the program we were also taken on a one day trip around China and a two day trip to foshan. Not only did this program teach us the language and business but we were able to take a break from learning and do some sight-seeing and to places that may not come to mind when travelling by yourself.

    Overall, It was a beautiful and rewarding experience that BUILD has provided me and I would like to thank them for the wonderful opportunity they have presented me.

    Global Short Programs Student

  • My China International Summer Program

    My China International Summer Program

    In Winter 2015 I participated in short program in China. The whole trip was a big challenge for me but more than that it was so much fun. I started my journey about two weeks prior to the commencement of the program and finished my journey about two weeks after the closure of the program. For me, China was a complete new experience and environment, as I had never travelled to China before so I thought it would be good to get familiar with the new environment before starting the program. That was one of the reason why I decided to travel couple of weeks early to Shanghai than the scheduled program in Guangzhou and I believe travelling to Shanghai prior to the commencement of the program really helped me to understand the people and their cultural differences, it also helped me build more interest about Chinese culture and Chinese language

    Knowing that I will be studying Chinese language soon as part of this program, I started to learn Mandarin language by myself, it helped me to easily grasp and learn the language at the program while I was studying the language as part of our study course. Communicating with the local people in Shanghai was very fun and unique experience. I bought a small Mandarin language pocket dictionary which helped me quickly learn the ‘survival language’. I believe Mandarin language is quite a complex language to learn, there are different tones for the same word and they all mean something completely different. It was great experience trying all those tones with the waitress in a restaurant.

    The program itself in Guangzhou was very educational but it was also enjoyable at the same time. Chinese language class was my favourite class, I liked it more than studying Chinese business studies. All the teachers were good and supportive. Other than studies, we participated in other fun activities such as indoor team games, visiting other cities, visiting companies etc. I met a lot of students participating in the same program coming from all different parts of the world. I made many new friends and even though I am back in Sydney now, I am still keeping the contact with them.

    Another thing I should talk about is food. Food in China is very different to western food. Many times the food was pretty spicy but coming from Indian background I was able to enjoy the spicy food as well. I really liked the variety of food that was available wherever we go in China. Trying different types of food such as snails, octopus, pigeons etc. was an exciting adventure.

    Overall, this whole summer program experience was very overwhelming, educational and fun. I would love to take part in a similar program in future.

    Global Short Programs Student

    Winter 2015

  • A Chinese Summer

    A Chinese Summer

    My short term program has taken me to Guangzhou, China. It is one of the fastest growing cities in China at the moment. My 3 week experience has been absolutely amazing to say the least. Learning Mandarin was the highlight of the program and gaining knowledge with regards to the business in china was just a further addition. The experience gained from the trip will forever be etched on my memory. The bottom picture is one of the iconic spots of Sun Yat-sen University.

    Guangzhou is the largest city of the Guangdong province in Southern China. The city is not only a popular destination for their exquisite cuisine but also for their position to act as a national transportation hub for China. Home to close 14 million people, Guangzhou is renowned for their hospitability as well. As part of the short-term exchange, fifteen UTS student were sent to take part in the International Summer Program at the Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU), joining other 60 plus students from more than 20 countries. The program offered a choice of undertaking two courses out of the three provided; Chinese Language, Chinese Business studies and Chinese Politics & Cultural Studies. I chose the former twos. The team at SYSU had allocated us with local student ‘buddies’ and towards the end of the program all of us had become the best of friends with each other. Another exciting feeling for me was that, some of the students that had taken part in the program knew more that 2-3 languages as we had students from Ecuador, Scotland, Portugal, France, Belgium, Bangladesh, Germany, Peru, Malaysia, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Vietnam, Spain, Italy, USA, Taiwan, Hong Kong and as well Macau.
    As part of the Program, we had a range of events and activities organized for the duration. It had covered the past 10 years of economic achievements and recent challenges to the region. They also had both local company visits and cultural excursions. Being part of the program had meant meeting new people, impending new cultures and tapping into innovative resources. Apart from the academic activities which were only about 5-6 hours a day, the personal time allocated to ourselves had been another major segment of the exchange. We were also taught traditional Chinese Calligraphy. Starting from our accommodation to eating outside was all truly exceptional. The guided to tours to the Guangzhou city and a spectacular evening cruise on the Pearl River was definitely worth it. In between the program, we were taken to a city called Foshan for a 2-day trip. Foshan is an emerging industrialist place in the Guangdong province. They are also less condensing than Guangzhou. The weather took couple days to get accustomed to as it was scorching hot at Guangzhou as it was summer.

    Towards the end of the program, it was quite saddening to leave the place that had been our home for the last couple of weeks. The memories and I had made will be forever be cherished and all because of the support provided by UTS. I am already planning my next visit to Guangzhou.

  • Sun Yat-Sen University Intensive Program

    Sun Yat-Sen University Intensive Program

    During the winter study break I took a three-week program to study at the Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China. Here, I took Mandarin classes as well as Chinese Politics and Culture classes at one of the region’s most respected universities. Going into the program, I had some expectations about what a Chinese university would be like. This was basically formed from my experiences with Chinese students in my high school and university classes, media representations of Chinese institutions and teaching style (aka. “Tiger Mum”), as well as my own experiences travelling in China.

    Whilst some of my expectations were confirmed, many were proven inaccurate.

    I was pleasantly surprised to hear our lecturers asking us to voice any questions or critiques we may have about what we were learning, or about Chinese business and politics in general, during our classroom discussions. I had expected the learning to be very rigid with little room for questioning or critique due to the Chinese Communist Party’s tight censorship regulations. But we were encouraged to voice our criticisms and listen to any counter-arguments, in order to foster deeper awareness and create a balanced, informed opinion on topical matters. I really respected the institution for having this approach, which reflects the region’s close ties with democratic Hong Kong and its history of foreign engagement.

    The trip was also an opportunity to develop Mandarin language skills. I was really interested to learn some phrases and apply them in real life, and although most of Guangzhou’s residents are Cantonese speakers, my basic Mandarin got me through three weeks! I found the people I interacted with were very welcoming and friendly, and they appreciated any attempts I made to communicate in Mandarin (however bad!). That said, the universal language of hand gestures and a smile went a long way too- Mandarin is a difficult language to master!

    All up, my program experience was a memorable one. I made great friends from China and all over the world, I learnt new language skills that I can apply in real life, and I gained a deeper appreciation and understanding of a country I had visited several times before, but only ever got a superficial encounter with. As a Global Studies student looking to work in the international sphere, this has been a really valuable experience and has inspired me to consider employment opportunities in China.

    Global Short Programs Student

  • Experiencing my ancestors homeland – Guangzhou

    Experiencing my ancestors homeland – Guangzhou

    I have always been an active student in Sydney, I am currently a City of Sydney International Student Ambassador. When I heard about the UTS: BUiLD summer program in China it was a no brainer for me to take the chance. Fortunate enough I was granted the Chau Chak Wing scholarship that funded my study at Sun Yat-sen – a major university in Guangzhou.

    My parents are Chinese from Guangzhou however I was born and grown up in Vietnam. I had never been to China before so this trip had many emotion and meaningful for me. Not only it is a learning opportunity to explore the Chinese’s dynamic culture, it is also a chance for me to live in and get to know the city where my ancestors came from, where I might had spent my childhood.

    Despite growing up from Vietnam I speak fluent Mandarin and Cantonese so upon arrival Guangzhou felt like home to me. There was almost 90 students from all parts of the world participated in this summer program. It was a very diversity and fun group of people. We spent three weeks learning and exploring the culture, everyday was full of challenges and excitements, everyday we discovered new destinations, everyday we learnt a little bit more about each other’s background and culture.

    In a subject I enrolled in Chinese Business I learnt how to do business with the Chinese. I learnt about the importance of “giving faces”; when a “let me think about it” means no; where a men wearing a green hat means his wife is having an affair; and also understanding the cultural different markets that needs to be advertised differently in order to success and many more. All of which enriched my experience about the business world in China and the communication style.

    Aside study, the university organised a Guangzhou one day tour and a two day cultural visit to Foshan – Shunde which happened to be the hometown of the famous martial art legendary Bruce Lee. This is where learning gets into practice where I got to visit ancient architectures, temples, houses where the nobles lived that I had been watching from TV since I was little. I also visited the Bruce Lee memorial, Bruce Lee’s master – Yip Man memorial – a brilliant Wing Chun master.

    I was the only UTS student and the only foreigner who studied the subject Taiwan – Hongkong – Macau Business which was taught in Chinese. Here I learnt about the three territories where same language is spoken but yet very different. Everyday different senior lectures gave us an insight into Taiwan – Hongkong – Macau economical, cultural and political revolution. It was overwhelmed and an absolute mind opener for me.
    In this summer program I met many people that left me an unforgettable impression, I met a middle aged business lecturer from New Mexico whose eager and curiosity took her cross ocean to China, just to hear stories told by the Chinese; I met an Australian born Hong Kong girl who has immense passion about Asian countries; I met a French gentleman who speaks 7 languages and will never stop learning; I met an American girl who is allergic to dust and plan to leave her foot mark on every Asian countries, and I guess properly every corner of the world; I met many UTS students from various faculty who had joined many similar BUiLD programs who guided me on how to make the most of this experience.

    The last day of the program was a tearful day for many of us, the awkwardness on day one had gone without notice, in three weeks we had been through a lot together: car sick, disgusting food, nasty traffic, love stories, cultural shock and so on. It was hard to say goodbye to friends who you know this might be the last time you see them in person. But this is life. UTS BUiLD had offered me this life time experience to explore “my supposed to hometown”, to be exposed to a new environment, to make global friendship and I am greatly thankful for it.

    Will I go for the next adventure? It is a no brainer.

    Global Short Programs Student

  • Learning Chinese at Sun Yat-Sen

    Learning Chinese at Sun Yat-Sen

    This year i was involved in the Sun Yat-Sen University Summer Program which was a 3 week short course in Guangzhou, China. My reasons for wanting to get involved was to help motivate me to improve my current level of Chinese as i am of Chinese Cambodian
    background but do not speak mandarin. During the program i would be learning the Chinese language as well as understanding China politics and culture.

    I was well looked after during the program, with the organisers facilitating my pick up and return from the airport. City tours and other field trips were organised to help us experience their culture and rich history. I found this very interesting, especially to see the difference between the old historical parts and the new modern areas. China has advanced a lot over the past few years and this trend is expected to continue.

    I’ve made such wonderful friends from all around the world during this program. These students were from Guangzhou, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Korea, and Taiwan. They were all proficient in Chinese as well as English so i was able to learn a lot from them and it made
    me realise the importance of learning Chinese.

    The main challenges that i faced would probably be the language barrier. I am not a proficient mandarin or Cantonese speaker so when i got there i only went to areas which I thought people might be able to understand more English. I was very shy to use the little
    Chinese skills that i knew as i was not confident and scared to be laughed at. However, as the program went on , I grew more confidence by asking and speaking to my Chinese friends and would feel great satisfaction if the locals were able to understand my Chinese at the shops. As a result of the program, i have bought many chinese language learning books in China which i brought back home with the intention of continuing my studies. I would like to bring my Chinese up to a high enough level that i would be able to go back and travel throughout other parts of China.

    Cindy Ly

    Global Short Programs Student

  • Evaporating fears; Learning Chinese at Sun Yat-sen

    Evaporating fears; Learning Chinese at Sun Yat-sen

    Before completing this summer program at Sun Yat-sen University in China I felt that I would spend a lot of time studying business and language and not enough time experience China. Looking at the class timetable I felt that I did not have the time to put what I had learnt into practice. These fears however were evaporated upon my arrival at the university. We as students were allowed plenty of time to explore the city and practice our Mandarin Chinese skills to the locals. Additionally, the aid of having the buddy program at the university meant that we had English speaking Chinese students who could help us further in our language studies and who could further explain Chinese business thinking and culture. We all left this program with a better rounded understanding of contemporary China and the Chinese.

    Additionally, prior to the course I felt that many of the students may not have much in common with eachother. This however was far from the case by having 15 UTS students. All of the other students in the course either came alone or in a pair of two, hence making friends and feeling a sense of belonging was far easier for the UTS students than it was for the others. By far the best thing on this course was due to the fact that there were so many UTS students. Moreover, all of the UTS students got on very well together. We were also very kind at ingratiating all of the other students, making sure that everyone was always invited to join us to where we would go out to. Additionally, having such a large group of UTS students made it easier for us to practice Mandarin together and write out group assignments, something we had to do in the final week.

    This course was great fun and very informative. We all befriended many of the expats in the city of Guangzhou, making very useful and lasting connections between UTS and China. Sun Yat-sen University is also China’s most prestigious business university and so it is very useful to mention that I studied there on my CV.

    I will be doing an international exchange to another city in China soon and so this program has given me the confidence and ability to thrive over there. I now have a great basis for Chinese Mandarin and have a better understanding of Chinese culture and business ethics. This course has greatly helped me for my future. It was a wonderful experience which I will never forget.

    Henry Birtwistle

    Global Short Programs Student

  • Sun Yat-sen; An Unexpected Journey

    Sun Yat-sen; An Unexpected Journey

    From July 5-25, I participated in the 2015 International Summer Program (ISP) at Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU), Guangzhou, along with 14 other BUILD Abroad students. SYSU is known as one of the most prestigious and top-ranking universities in Southern China. The ISP included Chinese language classes 3 mornings a week, politics and culture or business studies classes in the afternoons, and cultural immersion activities like tai chi, paper cutting and Chinese calligraphy. These classes offered a valuable insight into the Chinese culture. There were also fun excursions like a night boat cruise on the Pearl River, two local company visits, a Guangzhou day trip, and a weekend trip to Shunde and Foshan, a neighbouring city also in Guangdong.


    My expectations before travelling to Guangzhou were limited to what I had experienced a year prior, when I came in Guangzhou for the first time as an adult. My family is from Guangdong province yet I hadn’t embraced and explored it as much as I’d have liked. Last summer, I was brought to the ‘Old Town’ area where my family lived. This time, I had the opportunity to study in this amazing city and experience life like a student in Southern China. I expected to enjoy the program but wasn’t sure about how well it would be executed, how many new friends I’d meet, and how I’d deal with the language difficulties I have with Mandarin and Cantonese.


    My experience turned out to be unexpected in several ways, but also followed the schedule set by SYSU. The first challenge arose when my flight arrived in Guangzhou at 1:30am on the first day of the program instead of the previous day. I also arrived on campus a little late to the opening ceremony after not being able to find my accommodation. I was sick for the duration of the program due to exhaustion (a combination of the intensive program I’d undertaken directly before arriving in Guangzhou, the flight delay and extreme heat in comparison to Sydney’s cold). Being sick stopped me from being as active as I wish I could have been off-campus, but I was lucky to live at the university hotel and made sure I attended my classes and the various exciting ISP excursions and activities.


    I couldn’t have predicted how lovely and approachable our SYSU buddies (the local students assigned to help us) would be. I learnt a number of skills during the program – but the biggest learning curve was being tolerant of other perspectives and cultures and adaptive towards unexpected situations. All the ISP students came from every corner of the globe, but as we were here for a common purpose, we all got along amazingly and embraced whatever linguistic and cultural differences we encountered.


    This program has undoubtedly furthered my interest in China and I hope to use the lessons gained through this experience in working towards a career in China and the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on mutual collaboration and cultural relativism. I truly can’t wait to return.

    Check out my other blogs on Sun Yat-sen University here; https://guangguangguangzhou.wordpress.com/

    Global Short Programs Student