留学澳大利亚——你真的要去吗？

2009-11-11

双语时代 2009年10期

澳大利亚,一直是很多中国学生留学的首选国家之一,一流的教育质量和高品质的生活方式,让莘莘学子们对这个以袋鼠闻名的国家趋之若鹜。不过,对于准备赴澳留学的人来说,未知的未来却充满着让人不安的因素,远离家乡奔赴这样一个陌生的国度,生活还会如设想中的那样美好吗?特别是此前传闻有多名在澳留学生被害以及多名因签证过期或出勤率不达标的中国留学生被澳方羁押遣返的消息被媒体曝光后,这样的疑虑越来越多地萦绕在我们心中。

本期《体验》,我们采访了三名初到澳洲或已经在澳洲学习生活了一段时间的留学生,让她们给大家讲讲自己的亲身经历。或许对您的出行能有所参考。另外,我们还采访了澳大利亚驻华大使杰夫先生,请他谈谈对于到澳洲留学的看法和建议。

主人公:赵青青,性别女,年龄和体重是不能说的秘密。最爱做的事情是宅在家里,最常进入的状态是白日做梦。现在澳洲昆士兰大学旅游管理学院读研,琐碎并幸福地生活于校区附近的小公寓内。

现居城市:布里斯班

最初总是兴奋而辛苦的

未来得及和父母来个行前拥抱,我就匆忙踏上了飞往澳洲的远征旅途:长沙——上海——新加坡——布里斯班。

从开始考虑留学到真正出发,我准备了一年半。这一段时间里,我背过“机经”,当过“烤鸭”,参加过中介的学校推介会,准备过申请材料,也为学校和专业的选择伤透过脑筋。当一切都尘埃落定,收到录取通知书,通过签证,订好机票,我却开始心虚了。我不敢相信,有这么一天我会离开我熟悉的一切,去追求可能我到现在还不是很肯定的一个目标。很多亲朋好友都说我很勇敢,很坚强。在和父母离别却没有哭出来的那一刻,我也相信我是勇敢坚强的。可是当飞机从上海浦东国际机场缓缓起步时,空前的想念和不舍以及对未来的恐惧压顶而来,舷窗外一片模糊。

布里斯班的生活是简单平淡的。

刚来的头几天,公交车是新鲜的,学校是新鲜的,食物是新鲜的,就连硬币都显得那么新奇。新鲜劲过了之后剩下的就是真实的生活——住房是所有留学生都会遇到的问题。

第一个月住寄宿家庭是大多数人的选择,住得好不好基本靠运气。房东是澳洲本地人还是操浓重口音的印度人,又或者是华人家庭——在入住之前一般是无法知晓的。我被认为是很“幸运”地住到了一个澳洲本地人家里,但一个月之后的事实证明,在这件事上我并不是那么一个“幸运儿”。生活方式的差异和沟通交流的障碍引发了大大小小的问题,委屈是我来到澳洲的第一个月里体会得最深的情绪。既然如此,我就得另谋出路——租房子。这实在是个精神体力双重消耗的活。首先我得从澳洲各式租房网站上搜寻合适的房源,然后再和房屋中介约定看房时间,看房之后再下决定要不要租。有的时候一个房子因为地理位置等原因太抢手了,会有几批人去看房,这时候就得集中所有的智慧和经验:租,还是继续看房?这是一个问题!

还有一种方式就是通过朋友提供的信息来租房。来澳洲一段时间之后,会结交到不同的朋友,交流过程中可能就会得到不错的房源信息,我算是这种方式的受益者。我和三个朋友一起合租了一套不带家具的公寓。所有的床,桌子,凳子等都是买回来后自己一个床架,一个螺丝钉地拼凑起来的,沙发、冰箱等生活用品都是从二手市场淘回来的。这个过程中间的辛苦就不用多说了,但累过之后看着自己一点一滴建起来的这个“家”,温馨满溢。

住房问题解决之后,就是学习了。但实际生活中,下一个问题往往都不会等到上一个解决了它才出现,它们爱扎堆。我一边要租房买家具,一边就开始上课了。作为刚跨入另一个教育体系的新人,所有的考验在迷茫中就已经开始。我一周只有4节课,其他的时间完全自由支配。就算是这样,我还是感觉到时间严重不够用。4个老师一上来都是讲这个学期的教学安排,作业和考试。平均算下来我一个星期要交2篇小论文,一个学期里还有3个小组作业和2个期末考试。上课基本没有指定的教材,有的只是老师列出的一个推荐阅读清单。也难怪我到澳洲之后爱上的第一个地方就是昆士兰大学(UQ)的图书馆。

在我看来,如果可以通过图书馆来衡量一个学校的实力的话,昆士兰大学不愧是名列澳洲前八的名校。其他图书馆不说,St. Lucia校区的社会科学人文图书馆和旅游学院的研究生图书馆是我最爱去的两个地方。每一个图书馆都配有多台电脑,和分布在图书馆不同楼层的打印机是联机的,所有UQ的学生都可以使用自己的用户名和密码登陆学校电子系统,自由使用学校提供的任何资料和服务。如果那么不巧想要借的书UQ的图书馆里没有,我还可以向图书馆递交申请,图书馆的工作人员会在一个星期左右的时间里将书的电子版本发到指定的邮箱,当然这种机会是不多的。每个图书馆里都有带电源插座的个人学习室和小组讨论室,对所有学生开放但是要提前预定。不过要是没有预定到学习室也不用沮丧,公共自习的地方有很多,甚至随地坐下,背靠在墙上,打开书本或笔记本电脑就可以开始学习。图书馆所有的地面都铺上了地毯,开放中央空调,环境实在是让人没什么好挑剔。最让我感动的是图书馆的工作人员,不论有任何关于书或图书馆的问题,都会尽自己最大的努力帮助读者,直到问题得到解决。

有让我非常喜爱的图书馆当然是美事一桩,但面对要读的书,还是挺头疼的。尽管我能借出的书本多达40本,但我还是先将精力集中在了老师重点推荐的几本书上。每周的阅读量视自己的情况而定。虽然我不读也没有关系,不会有人来检查,但由此导致的诸如论文不知所云,被老师给个低分或考试不及格导致课程过不了等后果全部自负。

我现在已经习惯了在这里的生活,也在慢慢适应新的教学方式和与国内不同的学习压力。尽管是在异国他乡,我和我的朋友们仍然怀揣着梦想,在一起努力着。

主人公:张翼,一个土生土长的北京女孩。六年前只身一人到澳大利亚求学。现在在位于西澳的默多克大学攻读硕士学位,一个彻彻底底的乐天派而且有一颗永远也长不大的心。闲暇的时候喜欢和朋友聊天、看书、胡思乱想还有旅游,最大的梦想就是有一天能周游世界。

现居城市:佩斯

在澳洲,做好自己的管家

“蓝天白云,人群稀少,景色颇美”是我六年前只身一人来到澳洲时对这个地方的印象。六年转眼就过去了,而我也对这个国家有了更深的了解。

我所在的城市叫佩斯,是西澳的首府。西澳是澳大利亚最大的一个州,占国土总面积的三分之一,而佩斯也被评为世界上最孤独的城市,因为她离最近的阿德莱德还有将近两千七百公里的距离,这里是澳洲首府中日照时间最长的城市,平均日照为7.9个小时。佩斯环境优美,拥有世界上数一数二的海滩。去海边冲浪或坐在沙滩上闲谈早已成为佩斯人民生活的一个重要组成部分。因为澳大利亚是一个文化多元化的国家,所以这里云集了各种文化和信仰,大家在一起生活得欢乐融洽。佩斯给人一种其他城市所没有的亲切感。当地人一般都很热情,不管认不认识都喜欢在一起聊聊国家大事或者侃侃家常。

因为刚到澳洲的时候还没有满18岁,我必须住在当地人的家里,也就是传说中的homestay。我homestay的对象是一对和蔼的老夫妇,女的是新西兰人,叫Rita,男的是荷兰人,叫Hank,但是两个人都在澳大利亚住了10多年了。两个人都很热情,而且把我照顾得无微不至。一看到我就亲切地问我一大堆问题,好像想在一天之内把我了解个彻底。他们还特地帮我布置了房间,在我的床头放了一个毛线制的娃娃。看到那个温馨的房间,我的心情顿时好了很多。可能是因为旅行的疲惫,在这个陌生国度的第一个晚上我睡得却很香很甜,没有因为想家而失眠。

第二天早上,homestay老太太做早餐的香味儿把还在睡梦中的我叫醒。我赶紧穿好衣服,顺着香味儿来到了厨房。Rita一看见我就热情地问我晚上冷不冷,有没有睡好。我一个劲儿的点头,眼睛早已瞄上了她正在做的薄煎饼(pancake)。Rita告诉我这是西方人经常吃的一种食物,可做早餐也可做甜点,她还告诉我如果蘸上枫糖或者冰淇淋就更好吃了。早已饿得前心贴后背的我,没用一会儿就把薄煎饼都消灭掉了,Rita看看我狼吞虎咽的样子,在一旁笑个不停。吃完早餐后,Rita和Hank开车带我去了一个野生公园看袋鼠。本以为星期日路上会有很多车,谁想到一路开过去也没有看见几辆。后来Rita告诉我这里的商店星期日都关门,所以一般大家要么在家待着,要么去远地旅行,市里车辆很少。澳洲交通法的另一个有趣之处就是对司机的年龄没有约束。在澳洲东部的几个州,到了一定年龄的司机会被要求定期做一次测试,只要通过了测试就可以继续驾车,不管你是多少岁。在西澳,这种测试根本不存在,只要不出事故,就算到了八十岁,你也可以驾车。

经过两天的休整,我早已恢复活力,做好了上学的准备。星期一早上,在Hank和Rita的陪伴下我来到学校。热情的老师把我带到我的教室并向同学们介绍了我。教室的布局很随意:两侧的墙上贴着学生的绘画作品,桌椅被推到了角落里,大家围着老师席地而坐,老师正坐在桌子上绘声绘色地讲着什么,所有的一切都是那么的舒服自然。我找了个地方坐下,继续听那个老师讲他周末外出时的神奇经历。在问候了每个人以后,老师给我们介绍了那个学期的课程安排。国外学校的一个特点就是培养学生的自律能力。老师一般都是讲完课就走,不会追着你要作业,他们认为学习是学生自己的事儿,不应该让别人来操心。但是如果学生有问题,老师都会很负责地帮你解答。一般学校在学期开始的时候就会告诉学生上交作业的日期,这样学生可以有效地安排自己的时间。这种教学方法要求学生有很强的自律能力,对于被老师家长管惯了的中国学生来说还是具有一定挑战性的。澳洲的移民局对国际学生的出勤率查得很严,一旦学生的出勤率低于85%,学校就会向学生发出警告,如果接到多次警告还不悔改,那移民局就会取消学生签证并责令其在一个月之内离开澳大利亚。近几年来,澳大利亚就有多起中国学生因为出勤率不达标而被遣送回国的事例。

在澳大利亚上学还要注意的就是要对自己所学的课程有所了解,特别是上大学的学生。哪个学期应该选哪个科目都是学生自己的事儿,如果有问题可以向老师学校请示。在澳洲的学校一般不会有人催着你选课,也不会有人告诉你应该选哪门课。有些学生因为和老师学校交流不够导致最后选错科目或者错过了注册时间,这样不仅耽误了自己的时间还造成一定的经济损失。在外留学最需要的就是不懂就问的精神。在这里没有人会笑话你问的问题有多低级,尤其是在学校,老师都很鼓励学生多问问题,不管你觉得那个问题有多愚蠢。这里的老师还鼓励每个学生说出自己对某事物的看法,不管学生的想法有多么不着边际。作为中国学生我们有时会很拘谨,但是这边的老师坚信只有大声地说出自己的想法,学生才会对事物有真正的认识和了解。

主人公:He Yun, Master candidate in Tsinghua University, is currently studying in Sydney University as a visiting research fellow.

现居城市:Sydney

Chinese Students Need some Change

After a day's flight, I finally arrived in Sydney's Kingsford airport. It was the end of July, deep winter for most other places in the southern hemisphere, but not for Sydney. It's located in the southeast of Australia, very close to the tropic, so even in winter, temperatures could reach as high as twenty degrees in the daytime. Unlike many of my friends, I was sensible enough not to bring my Beijing winter wardrobe all the way across the Pacific. Not only would it have taken up all the space in my suitcase, it would've been completely useless; the weather here is so warm, no heavy clothes are necessary.

Airports everywhere all have the same feel, but the air surprised me. As soon as I got off the airplane, a surge of fresh air rushed into my lungs, and chased away my weariness. All of a sudden I felt alive again. The sky was so blue and clear. When I reached out my arms, it felt as if I could really touch the sky.

My friend Janet, picked me up from the airport. She was nearly eightyfour years old, but looked barely sixty. However, her eyes weren't so good. Driving to Maroubra (where I lived) became the first adventure I had in Sydney. We drove around and around the airport before we finally found the way out. It was fun. People of her age in China wouldn't risk driving on the road. In the rare occasion when they do, it takes a large amount of courage and they have to face strong objections from their family. In Australia the situation is different. Old people here either drive or take public transportation by themselves if they need to travel. Of course, there are advantages for being old. On almost all the municipal buses there are priority seats prepared especially for old people. Also, a young driver would often let an aged driver pass first when both are turning at an interchange. In all, older people in Australia generally prefer to live independently, but they still enjoy the respect and special care from other members in the community.

I settled down quickly. I lived with two nice ladies, Rachael and Rebecca. Rachael is Rebecca's mother; she works as a secretary in a company. Rebecca is a freelance writer. Both of them are very devout Christians. They lived in a lovely three bedroom house in a middle class area. I rented one of their rooms. It cost $120 Australian dollars (about 600 RMB) per week, very expensive for a Chinese student but very cheap by local standards. Most of my friends had to spend $150 to $200 dollars a week on their housing. Even though it's not cheap, both food and other expenses weren't normally included in this price.

Since I had already applied for an internship at the Lowy Institute, I only needed to take three classes at Sydney University, whereas a full time student is usually required to take four. The way classes are run here is very different from a Chinese university. Most of the classes on the Master's programme involve a two to three hours seminar, in which students are encouraged to participate in active class discussions and teachers only play a supplementary role. Undergraduate classes are slightly different. They are usually composed of one class and one tutorial. A typical class is very similar to what we have in China, usually involving the teacher explaining a basic idea from their field to their students. A tutorial, however, is very different. Teachers would often send one of their tutees to either help the students run a discussion or answer their questions.

There are lots of Chinese students everywhere. In my journalism class there were just six local students but ten Chinese students. In class, students from the same country would often sit together so they could chat in their shared language. Very interestingly, I found that most of the teachers when speaking, would prefer to face the local students rather than international students. I didn't think they did it intentionally. But since most of the international students were not confident enough in their English, they wouldn't normally want to speak or participate in any of the class discussions. Teachers often expect a response when they're talking to the class. Naturally they would prefer to look at the local students, who are generally active and talkative, instead of the international students, who don't always know how to respond. The difference was quite striking for me, because I'm used to having the teachers' attention in class. I think in order to change this situation, more and more Chinese students should be brave and speak up, voicing their opinions.

Sydney University has a beautiful campus. Their oldest building, the Quadrangle, was built in 1865. From outside, it looks like a Gothic castle, with tall slim towers and long corridors. There is also a huge pendulum in one of the towers. At 12 o'clock everyday, the pendulum would strike, sending out a lovely piece of music. It was the symbol of the spirit of the university.

In front of Quadrangle is Victoria Park. It looks more like a garden to me, with two small ponds and several aches of lovely green lawn. There are lots of pigeons, ducks, magpies and other nameless birds living in this area. Students would often bring their lunch and settle down to eat on one of the many benches scattered across the lawn, feeding their leftovers to the birds. The birds, because they are so spoiled by people constantly feeding them, sometimes can get pretty aggressive when they're hungry. Once I went down to the park with a sandwich in my hand, a big pigeon swooped right passed me. Before I realized what had happened, the sandwich was gone. I got robbed by a pigeon!

Sydney University also has what they call the 'biggest library in all of the Southern Hemisphere' - the Fischer Library. However, I didn't find it to be particularly big. Compared to Tsinghua University or Peking University's libraries, I'd say their book collections are quite modest. What's interesting is that, there is a Chinese library on the seventh floor of the Fischer, in which you can find most of the contemporary Chinese writers' works.

A school year usually has two semesters. The first semester runs from March to May, and the second from July to November. At the beginning of each semester, school is often slow. If you are a new-comer to Australia, you will find plenty of time to explore the city. I saw the famous Sydney Opera House the second day I arrived in Australia. Its roofs shone under the sun like pieces of shells freshly emerged from the sea. It is said that if you put all the roofs of the Sydney Opera House together, they would form a perfect oval-shape. That was the idea of the original designer, John Utzon. The sea was beautiful, stunningly blue like sapphire and twinkling like the stars. Every so often a ferry full of tourists would pass by, and you could hear the people on them marveling at the beauty of this great architecture.

There are many Chinese people in Sydney. In fact, if you live in the city, you wouldn't even feel it's that much different from say, Beijing or Shanghai. You see people of all colors and cultures in the street. You see buildings of different styles. There is even a Chinese style park in the centre of town, called Suzhou Garden, with a lovely big jade Buddha sitting outside greeting guests from around the world.

Of course they have western restaurant, but they also have many Asian restaurants too and not just Chinese. In any one street it's possible for you to find Chinese food, Japanese food, Korean food, Thai food, etc. all at the same time! If you love food and wanted to taste something new for every meal, Sydney would be a good place to go. Of course, eating in a restaurant can be very expensive. A meal will cost at least $7 dollars, and that's just the cheapest ones. Once I had a bowl of noodles in a Chinese restaurant. I didn't look at the price on the menu, because I thought, hmmm, how expensive can noodles be, I mean, they're cheap everywhere. But when the bill came, it turned out that it had cost me $13 dollars! I could have kicked myself! In China it wouldn't even have cost me 13 RMB.

But you can't always compare prices like that; otherwise your life will be miserable. The best way to balance your costs here is to find a job. Since I had an internship, I didn't have the time to get one. However, an international student would normally work up to twenty hours every week in a cafe, shop or restaurant. Sometimes those hours would be enough to pay for their entire food costs and their rent. So if you are coming to study in Sydney, I strongly suggest you find a part-time job. If Australian expenses are too much for your RMB account, try to make dollars and then spend dollars! Trust me, once the financial burden is lifted, you will find this country considerably more enjoyable!

【编者手记】:

问题总会有解决的办法,这三位看起来柔柔弱弱的女孩子以自己不服输的性格在陌生的澳大利亚爆发出自己的潜能,学会了享受在澳大利亚的生活。在澳洲遇到的一切事情,都极大地丰富和丰满了她们的人生。毋庸置疑,这些独特的经历会让她们比同龄人更多一份历练,多一份对生活的感悟和理解。

熟练的口语会帮助留学生解决很多实际问题

在不久前的“澳中杰出校友颁奖大会”的启动仪式上,《双语时代》就中国留学生的相关问题采访了澳大利亚驻华大使杰夫先生。让我们一起看看大使先生都有些什么样的建议:(BT: 《双语时代》 G: Ambassador Geoff)

是什么赋予澳大利亚诱人的魔力?

BT: Mr. Ambassador, a lot of Chinese students have studied or are studying in Australia. So compared with other countries, what do you think are the specialties of Australian higher education that attract Chinese students most?

BT:大使先生,许多中国学生曾经或者正在澳大利亚求学。同其他国家相比,您认为澳大利亚高等教育的哪些特色最吸引中国学子?

G: Australia has a very strong international reputation for its entire education. We have a long tradition of excellence in higher education. We offer a full spectrum of high quality courses from the sciences right through to the humanities. I think Australia has also has many other attractions. It's pretty much in the same time zone as China is also not far away, there are many Chinese who live in Australia and so there's a sense that Australia has a welcoming openness visible environment for Chinese students. We have international recognized researchers; we have a very large number of Nobel Prizes particularly given the per-capita population of Australia and we place high value on giving Chinese students and any foreign students for that matter, a broad experience of living in another country and of course English is an important element given that so many Chinese students have studied English and want to do their higher education in English. So there're many factors that come together, but it should be recognized that we have now currently a hundred and twenty seven thousand Chinese students studying in Australia and in absolute numbers that's more than. That presence is very welcome in Australia.

G:澳大利亚整体的教育水准在国际上都享有盛誉。我们在高等教育方面有着卓越的传统,提供从自然科学到人文科学各个领域的高质量课程。我认为澳大利亚还有其他吸引人之处——它和中国几乎位于相同的时区,离中国不远,许多中国人居住在澳大利亚。因此,人们总感觉澳大利亚对于中国学生来说有一个热情好客、开放透明的环境。我们有享誉国际的研究人员,有着大量诺贝尔奖获得者,从澳大利亚人均拥有诺贝尔奖的数量来看更是如此。我们很重视包括中国学生在内的外国留学生在澳的生活情况。当然,英语是一个重要的因素,因为许多中国学生学过英语,而且希望用英语完成高等教育。所以这是许多因素综合的结果。但是,需要认识到的一点是目前我们有127,000名中国学生在澳大利亚学习,如果从绝对数量上来说,还不止这些。澳大利亚十分欢迎中国留学生。

身在异国的我们能够得到有效的保护吗?

BT: However, some Chinese students told us they may be confronted with some difficulties when they are living or studying in Australia, like housing problems or security worries in certain regions. What kind of help can the Australian government offer?

BT:不过有一些中国留学生告诉我们,他们在澳大利亚居住或求学的时候也会遇到一些麻烦,比如住房问题或者某些地区的安全问题。对此澳大利亚政府能够提供哪些帮助?

G: The Australian government provides quite a comprehensive range of services. First of all, we have an Education Services for Overseas Students Act. So it's an act of the federal parliament of Australia designed to protect the rights and interests of foreign students from any destination coming to Australia to study. We have also a registration process of education agents and have a capacity to identify those agents which is reputable; we'd strongly recommend you use reputable agents. We've also recently established the Australian government international students' house clause, to address specific concerns that students may have, and address it through proper intergovernmental processes.

It's very important though when coming to Australia that students prepare themselves properly, obviously English language is an extremely important part in doing that and although Chinese students may be very good at passing written exams in English, oral English can be quite different than written English and it's important to build skills in communication so I urge first and foremost students to practice as much oral English as they can and understand the colloquial differences of English. Secondly it's very, very, important that students work only with reputable education agents and those agents will provide a whole range of services to insure that the students are well established in Australia. Obviously it's important to prepare well in advance in terms of identifying accommodation - where you wish to live - but all Australian university campuses have quite substantial student welfare services. These services are provided by the university administration themselves, but also through the various student unions and student bodies at the universities. So there is quite a lot of infrastructure there to insure that most students have a very satisfying experience in studying in Australia. And I must say that the vast majority of experiences of foreign students and particularly Chinese students studying in Australia are very, very positive.

G:澳大利亚政府提供了全面的服务。首先我们有一个《海外学生教育服务法案》。它是由澳联邦议会法案授权,目的是保护所有国家的留学生在澳大利亚的权利和利益。同时我们对于教育中介也有一个注册过程,我们有能力鉴定出那些中介的优劣。我们强烈推荐你们寻找一些声誉好的中介机构。我们最近刚刚制定了澳大利亚政府针对外国留学生住房的条款,以通过恰当的政府间的合作来解决留学生在这方面的问题。

要来澳大利亚留学的同学得做好充分的准备,显然对英语的掌握是重中之重,这非常重要。虽然中国学生在英文书写上没有问题,但是英语口语和书面英语却很不同。加强用英语交流的技能十分重要,我给留学生们至关重要的建议就是尽量多练习口语,并且理解英语口语上的不同。其次十分重要的是,留学生要和有一定声誉的教育中介合作,因为只有那些中介才能提供一系列完整的服务保证留学生在澳大利亚的成长。当然,提前确认住宿(你想要住在哪里)也至关重要。所有的澳大利亚大学校园都有很多学生福利服务,这些服务由学校的行政机构自行提供,但同时也通过大学的各种学生社团或机构提供。因此,有众多基础设施能够保障大多数在澳大利亚求学的学生能够享受一个令人满意的生活。我必须强调,绝大部分外国留学生,尤其是中国留学生在澳大利亚的生活都是非常愉快的。

人才流失?或许是人才回潮!

BT: Nowadays, China has suffered from continual brain drain, while Australia is very successful in attracting talents. Could you share with us some of your country's experience in this regard?

BT:如今中国正面临着持续不断的人才流失,澳大利亚在吸引人才方面却极为成功。您能与我们分享一下澳大利亚在这方面的成功经验吗?

G: Well, certainly the number of foreign students including from China studying in Australia has increased quite substantially in recent years and many of these students do find that they are able to stay in Australia to continue to work if they have achieved an Australian qualification and education. That has to be looked at in specific circumstances and essentially it depends on the mix of skills that the student has. So that often means that students will stay in Australia longer than their formal studies. Obviously if you are going on and doing postgraduate work or research, scientific work, then there are outstanding facilities for that and many students who then graduate and go on and do research are very attracted by the quality of the facilities. Also the quality of life in Australia is very attractive and many students once they experience that, find that they would like to continue living in a environment that is very clean and very relaxed and people find it very attractive place to live. And of course we also offer a range of scholarships to attract students including the Australian government 'Devon' scholarship plan.

But I'd like to say on the brain drain question. I think what is clear is that what we are getting is a flow backwards and forwards and I think rather than being a brain drain in the sense that it's one direction - students from China when they're educated in Australia may stay on longer than their formal studies. But my experience is that most of them come back at some stage and they're coming back with new experience, new skills, and a better understanding of the world; how it works and in that way they are able to contribute so much more to the development and well being of China. So I think this is something that there is no need to worry about. I really do think that most students come back and that certainly been possible since China's reform and open door policies, that people in China are more or less free to move as they choose. It's a very healthy situation and one that we encourage. We don't seek to retain skill in Australia, we are very happy for the individuals to make their own career decisions and wish them all the very best in doing so.

Interestingly there is a small but not insignificant flow in the other direction. I'm finding more and more Australians, who have been educated in Australia, Australian citizens coming to China and making China their permanent home. They tend to be in the business areas and most of the major five star, well not most, but many of the major five star hotels in China, the general manager will more likely than not be an Australian. So I think that's quite significant and is bringing those skills from Australia back to China. But increasingly particularly for post grad work there is an increase in interest by Australians to study in China. Increasing numbers of Australians want to learn Chinese and the only place you can properly learn Chinese is in China. So I think you'll see in the years to come not only more Chinese people who have been educated in Australia returning home but many more Australians coming to make China their home and in doing so transferring their skills. So I think it's a very dynamic two way flow and relationship, and will only grow in the future.

G:包括中国留学生在内的外国留学生在澳大利亚的数量在近几年确实上升很快,许多留学生也发现如果他们接受了澳大利亚教育或学位认证后,可以继续留在澳大利亚工作。但是这决定于具体的环境和某个学生所掌握的技能,尤其是当留学生待在澳大利亚的时间比正式求学还要长的时候。很显然,如果你在澳大利亚继续攻读研究生,或者做研究和科学工作,许多毕业生都是被澳大利亚先进的设备所吸引。澳大利亚的生活质量也很吸引人,许多学生一旦在这种环境中生活过,就会想继续生活在这种干净、闲适的氛围中。当然,我们也提供大量奖学金吸引留学生,包括澳大利亚政府的“德文”奖学金计划。

但是,就人才流失这个问题,我想说的是我们看到的应该是一个有去有回的流动,而不是人才流失这一种单向流动。中国留学生毕业后可能会在澳大利亚待上比之前正式学习更久的时间,但是我所看到的是到某个阶段他们中的大部分就会带着新的经验、技术以及对世界更好的理解而回到中国。这样,他(她)就能为中国的发展和福祉做出更大的贡献。因此我觉得就这一问题(人才流失)无须担心。我认为自从中国实行改革开放政策以来,大部分中国留学生都会回国,中国人也可以更为自由地选择居住的地方。现在的形势很好,我们也很鼓励这样的情况。我们并不想把技术限制在澳大利亚,我们很高兴个人能够自己决定他们的职业,并且祝愿他们每个人都能成功。

有意思的是,还有一小部分人是反向流动的。我发现越来越多曾接受过本国教育的澳大利亚公民来到中国,并且在中国定居。他们投身于商业领域和许多五星级酒店的管理。因此,我认为他们将澳大利亚的技术带到了中国,意义重大。但是更有一些澳大利亚研究生对在中国学习十分感兴趣。越来越多的澳大利亚人想要学习中文,而最佳的学习地点当然是中国。因此我认为,这些年你们不仅会发现许多在澳受到教育的中国留学生回国,也会看到更多的澳大利亚人在中国定居,带来他们的技能。在我看来,中澳之间的人才双向流动是很活跃的,两国之间的关系在未来也会不断深化。

如果你已经决定留学澳大利亚的话……

BT: Many of our readers plan to study abroad. Could you, Mr. Ambassador, offer a word of advice for people who want to study in Australia?

BT:许多读者计划出国留学。大使先生,您能给那些想要去澳大利亚留学的人一些建议吗?

G: Well, I've already made many of those points in my answers to earlier questions so perhaps I can just summarize. Now as I said oral English is very important and not only for your coursework and study but just to make your community experience that much more fulfilling. So as I said please try and get as much exposure to oral English and when you're doing that remember that there are different ways of speaking in different communities. English is a very diversified language and Australians have an accent and a colloquial way of speaking and we sound different than Americans and different than British and different than Indians when they speak English, so you need to be aware of that.

It's also worth bearing in mind that the Australian education system is very different in its approach and philosophy than the Chinese education system. Where, as I think, still today in China, reflecting Confucians traditions in history there is an emphasis on rout learning and finding the right answers. Australian education system is very differently trying, and works differently trying to encourage creative and independent thinking, and the emphasis is less on trying to find a right answer to a problem but rather than learning, and rather more it's to learn the skills of problem solving and it's often more not the answer you get but how you think about solving the problem and understanding also that there can be many answers of different degrees of a appropriateness to any one question. So it's a much more creative and independent way of learning than what you are accustomed to in China. So you need to be adaptable in your approach to different learning teaching methods. Also it's very important for you to think creatively about the course you are going to do and the reasons why you are studying the course. It's really very important not to be thinking only in terms of the piece of paper that you're going to get at the end of your study. You really must to make the experience rich and fulfilling and to get the most value out of it, think of it as a lifetime experience and not be driven or focused just on the piece of paper that you get at the end of it.

I've mentioned already the importance of having a recognized education agent to help with the process of making the transition from China to Australia both in terms of selecting courses and enrollment processes and all the a visa process, participating in pre-departure seminars and assistance in finding accommodation. So it's very important. Word of mouth and longstanding are good ways of identifying reputable agents and as I also mentioned it's very important that you plan your accommodation and where you're going to live and those sort of personal matters well in advance and don't leave everything till you start at the university because the reality is, as you'll know, as students, once first term begins suddenly you'll find yourselves incredibility busy and if you haven't sorted out all the important basic requirements in terms of living and so on, (say,) accommodation, then you'll find yourself always constantly running to catch up and putting yourself under unnecessary pressure. So that's about it I think, but I would wish students studying in Australia every best. Best Wishes.

G:我已经在之前的回答中提到很多了,或许我只需再概括一下。正如我所说的,口语十分重要,不仅仅对于你的课程和学习,也会使你的生活十分充实。因此,试着多开口说英语,当你这么做的时候请记住在不同的环境下口语的表达方式也不同。英语是一门变化多样的语言,澳大利亚人有自己的英语口音,而且口语的表达也不同,我们的发音不同于美国人、英国人或者印度人,这一点必须注意。

还有一点要牢记的是澳大利亚的教育体制在方法和思想上和中国的迥然不同。就我所知,当今中国仍然受到历史上儒家思想的影响,因此很强调追根寻底和找到正确答案的学习。澳大利亚的教育体制则不同,它尝试鼓励创新和独立思考,而很少强调找到一个问题的答案,而是强调学习的过程。它更为注重学习解决问题的能力,不仅仅是得到一个答案,而是让你思考如何解决问题,并且明白问题的答案不止一个。因此,和你们所适应的中国教育相比,它在学习上更强调创新和独立。你们也必须能够适应不同的教学方式。另外,重要的是你们必须创造性地去思考如何学习你们的课程以及你们为什么要修这门课。你们不仅要思考如何应付学期末的论文或考试,更重要的是你们必须让这个过程变得充实而有收获,把它看做是一种人生经历一样,而不能整天只想着期末论文或考试。

我之前已经提到了与一家声誉较好的中介合作的重要性,它们能够全程帮助你从中国申请到澳大利亚读书,包括提供课程选择、学校录取、签证申请、参加临行前的研讨会和住宿方面的帮助。因此,正确的选择至关重要。当然,口碑和历史都是鉴别一家好中介的方法,我也提醒你们提前计划好住宿或者你要在哪里居住这类的个人问题,不要等到开始上学了才去准备。因为作为一个刚刚开始第一学期的新生,你会忙得焦头烂额。如果你没有事先解决好这些基本的需求问题,比如住宿,那你会为了这些而疲于奔命,面临不必要的压力。

这些就是我想说的,我希望在澳大利亚留学的学生都能一切顺利。

结语:正如大使所说的那样,教育水平享誉全球的澳洲是中国学生出国深造的一个不错选择。在准备出国留学之前,最重要的事情就是找合法经营服务质量有保证的中介公司为你打点一切。至于文化、语言等其他方面的事情,则需要自己在国内就尽量通过网络来增加了解,强化英语的实际应用能力。如果能够说一口流利的英语,在澳大利亚的生活几乎就适应了一半!只要拥有一个准备好接受挑战的心态,任何问题都能够迎刃而解。如果你已经作出了决定,要踏上异乡的这片国土给自己的人生画册上添上一笔,下面的这些信息或许对你会有所帮助:

澳大利亚概况:

衣着:在澳大利亚生活,夏季一般只需穿轻薄服装,但夜间有时需要加穿外套或毛衣。澳大利亚南部地区冬季则需穿较厚的服装,如大衣或外套;

生活指数:澳大利亚当地的生活开支和学费都在学生可以承受的范围内,你还可以在学习期间打工来赚取部分生活费用。一般单身学生一年生活开支为8000至12,000澳元。包括衣食住行、医疗及娱乐的开支;

住宿:有多种住宿可供选择,包括租房、旅社、住宿学院和寄宿学校;

课余兼职:获取学生签证的海外学生经父母许可可在澳大利亚兼职工作。在学校期间,每周最多可工作20小时,假期则可全天工作。这些经历有助于海外学生结交朋友,加深对澳大利亚的认识。但学生必须确保自己的学业不会受到兼职工作的影响,也不应把兼职工作视为在澳大利亚上学的主要经济来源;

语言:澳大利亚最常说的语言包括英语、意大利语、希腊语、广东话、阿拉伯语、越南语和普通话;

参考学费:(1澳元折合约为5.67元人民币)

本科课程研究生证书/研究生文凭课程硕士/博士课程

文科、商科、经济学、法律类:

13000至23000澳元/年

以实验室研究为主的理科、工程类:

15000至25000澳元/年 9000至16000澳元/年 15000至25000澳元/年