From 14/01/2018-04/02/2018, I will participate in a wonderful partnership with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) through the New Colombo Plan. This opportunity to participate in an overseas study would have typically been out of my grasp due to my personal financial circumstances, but thankfully the Department of Foreign Affairs sponsors students like me! I feel very fortunate to participate in the New Colombo Plan, and I am very excited to experience Malaysia.
The prospect of being invited overseas to experience university life in another culture is wonderful and fuels my passion to learn, it’s a dream come true. I was born in Australia and was raised in the United States, it has already been an adventure to return to Australia as a student at Flinders University. I am excited to have the next step of my educational adventure in a country I do not know much about, Malaysia, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I believe that visiting Malaysia will be a fantastic next step in my educational journey and I eagerly await the opportunity to take part in university life at UKM. I feel privileged to participate in such unique educational opportunities; the language of Malaysia is not traditionally offered by many Australian educational institutions and is offered through this exchange. While there is not an archaeology department at the university, the education that will be offered will be archaeologically relevant such as the promised instruction surrounding the Malaysian language, culture and history!
It is almost two weeks until I join my group in Malaysia at the Kuala Lumpur airport. Before I began planning this trip, I was blissfully unaware of the thought and energy that went into organizing a trip overseas. I credit the wonderful support of program coordinators and the Learn Without Borders team for making it a pleasant first experience. I am confident this trip to Malaysia will be wonderful.
Melanie Ward, Bachelor of Archaeology student, participating in “Investigating the history, culture, politics, and science and technology capability of Malaysia” funded by the New Colombo Plan in January 2018