[originaltext]M: So, this is your first year in university, isn’t it?W: Yeah,

M: So, this is your first year in university, isn’t it?
W: Yeah, it is actually. What about you?
M: I’m an old hand. I’ve been studying here five years already.
W: Oh, but you know a lot about Australia.
M: I just came to Australia to study. And you?
W: I’m an Australian. Sum I am. My great grandparents came here during the gold rush. Why did you come to Australia to study? Don’t you have universities in your own country?
M: Well, we do. But because I was interested in studying Marine Biology, it was better me to study overseas. That’s the main reason for not studying at home. So I thought there is either Australia or the United States. I didn’t even consider Britain be- cause it’s just too cold. And Australia is cheaper than the States. So here I am.
W: So, you must be strange when you came to arrive. What did you feel like?
M: Actually, I have to say my English was pretty fluent. So that wasn’t really a problem. My main problem was making friends.
W: Oh, you seem to be pretty confident.
M: Sure I am.
W: So what makes you change?
M: Well, I join the water-polo club at sports centre here. And I was the only foreigner and I found the other guys in this club to be very friendly. You know, down-to-earth, sort of way.
W: And what about your study here?
M: I think the most amazing was seeing how the students criticized and questioned what the lecturer said. They never do that in my country. Lecturers are almost like God over there. Yes, practical thinking was the hard thing for me to get used to it.