Yu Sze Man 余思敏

I would like to thank SPEED for offering me a chance to go to the University of Kansas City for a two-month summer exchange programme in June and July. Altogether I took four English courses to improve my English grammar, writing, reading and oral skills. I learned a lot from Mr. Colin Mullins, who taught me grammar and writing. Mr. Adam Shoemaker, the reading and speaking class teacher, was able to inspire us through his entertaining and lively lectures.

I also met many new friends from all over the world, including Mexico, Portugal, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Canada and Turkey. They all spoke different languages and I picked up some Spanish along the way because many people in the U.S. speak the language.

I did a lot of sightseeing around Kansas City with my friends over the weekends. We visited the Kansas City Zoo, Lake Jacoma Marina and Worlds of Fun. I also stayed at the homes of different friends and experienced first-hand how Mexicans, Portuguese and Koreans lived. We had great fun together and I cherish every moment with them. I learned a lot during this trip and even my parents found that I've grown up a lot and become more independent.

I hope SPEED can continue to provide these meaningful exchange programmes to more students. Best wishes to all of you!

感謝香港理工大學專業進修學院給予機會，讓我能夠在六月及七月遠赴堪薩斯城大學，參與為期兩個月的暑期交流計劃。我選讀了四個英語課程，以改善英語文法、書寫、閱讀及會話的能力。Colin Mullins 老師教曉我很多英語文法和書寫技巧，而閱讀及會話班老師Adam Shoemaker的教學方式則極具娛樂性兼生動有趣，激發學員的學習興趣。

此外，我亦認識了來自世界各地的新朋友，如墨西哥、葡萄牙、巴西、日本、韓國、台灣、沙特阿拉伯、加拿大及土耳其。他們各操不同語言，而因為美國有不少人說西班牙語，我也學會一些呢。

每逢週末，我會與三五知己暢遊堪薩斯城，遊覽堪薩斯城動物園、Lake Jacoma Marina及Worlds of Fun等著名景點。我亦在朋友家中留宿，體驗墨西哥人、葡萄牙人及韓國人的生活。我會珍惜大家相聚的每分每秒，緬懷一起度過的歡樂時光。今次的旅程讓我獲益良多，而父母也說我成熟了，而且變得更獨立。

展望未來，我希望香港理工大學專業進修學院能繼續為學生舉辦更多別具意義的交流計劃。

Teresa Lee chi-wan 李芷芸

It is my honor to be awarded the Scholarship from SPEED and have a chance to study abroad in the summer. Although the summer school only lasted for 2 months, I gained a lot more than I had expected!

Time flied, it was such a invaluable experience to study abroad and my trip, though short, has inspired my life. The experience is crucial to my personal development in the future.

I am glad to have made the right decision of applying to the SPEED Scholarship; and thank SPEED for giving me such an opportunity to broaden my horizon!

很榮幸能夠獲香港理工大學專業進修學院頒發獎學金，讓我有機會在暑假期間到外地作學術交流。雖然課程只有短短兩個月，但我已因此獲益良多！

時光飛逝，在短短的旅程中遇上的事物，不但讓我眼界大開，更是非常寶貴的經驗，對我的未來的發展有莫大裨益。

申請獎學金參加交流團絕對是個正確的決定，在此再次衷心感謝理工大學專業進修學院給我擴闊眼界的機會。

Calvin Chan 陳恆飛

I have never expected to learn, experience and achieve so much through the exchange programme in Buffalo. I made many great friends of different nationalities and we went through some tough times together. These are the friends that will last for a life time.

到美國水牛城參與英語交流計劃，不但能夠學習英語，更令我獲益良多。旅程上我結識到來自世界各地的朋友，彼此相互扶持，共度難關，最後更成為莫逆之交。

Tiffany Tse 謝天韻

I took part in the exchange program with the University of Michigan – Dearborn this summer. While most other students took English courses in their respective universities, the programme I chose was slightly different. I decided to take some credit-bearing courses, including a social psychology class and a communication designs class. The lecturers of both courses were very helpful.

It took me some time to get used to the life and study culture here but I eventually overcame my fears as well as the challenge of learning in a different country. The exchange experience also gave me new insights into my life. While Hong Kong people are always working hard for better lives, the people here are more laid back and take time to enjoy life. Their friendliness soon infected me and made me more outgoing and sociable. This greatly improved my communication and interpersonal skills.

Interaction with the locals let me gain a better understanding of the U.S. culture. I discovered that some of the stereotypes I had about America were wrong. I also learned many colloquial phrases and slang. At first, I dared not speak up in class, but after seeing other students actively participating in discussions, I began to ask questions on things that I did not understand and also gave my opinion on certain topics. This helped me raise my English speaking skills tremendously.

Last but not least, I would like to thank SPEED for giving me such a wonderful opportunity to experience a different culture. It was the best summer I ever had.

今年暑假，我參加了密歇根大學的交流計劃。大部分同學選擇在大學修讀英語課程，而我卻選擇修讀計算學分的課程，其中包括社會心理及傳訊設計課。以上兩個課程均讓我得益不淺。

雖然花了一段時間才適應外國的生活及學習文化，但最終都能克服在外地學習的困難及挑戰，而今次的經驗更令我眼界大開。香港人一向為生活忙得透不過氣，但當地人卻懂得放慢腳步，享受人生。他們親切友善，讓我不其然也開朗活潑起來，更改善了溝通技巧及人際關係。

與當地人一同生活，使我對美國文化有更深入了解，更發現心裡對美國人的一些偏見原來是錯誤的。另外，我亦學到不少口語及俚語。最初，我不敢在班上發言，但見到其他同學積極參與討論後，我開始在不明白時發問，亦會勇於表達意見，從而大大提升了英語水平。

最後，再次衷心感謝香港理工大學專業進修學院給我機會體驗不同文化，讓我度過一個精彩的暑假。