Exchanging contexts to change perspective

“Placing yourself in a different environment really allows your uniqueness to shine,” writes CBE student Alex Dickson, as he reflects on his time in Taiwan.

Alex was one of a handful of recipients of funding from the New Colombo Plan Mobility Program, which provides students with the opportunity to study in selected Indo-Pacific regions.

Sticking close to home is not often an exchange students’ first choice, with most opting for a North America or Europe experience. As Alex explains, there’s much to learn from your neighbours.

“It’s the cultural learning you should pursue in study abroad. Taiwan looked like a total wildcard to me and that’s why I chose it,” he says.

“I’ve now spent a lot of time in the Indo-Pacific region, predominantly in Indonesia and Taiwan, and I don’t believe there’s a region in the world geographically closer and as culturally unique as the Indo-pacific region.”

It’s easy enough to believe that we have the measure of a place, based on what we see in the media. For this reason alone, says Alex, studying abroad plays a crucial role in understanding the world around us.

“On one hand you have media telling you what Taiwan thinks, on the other hand you have the citizens of Taiwan and their beliefs,” he says.

“Taiwan has positioned itself as a strategic bastion in the world and must uphold a level of strategic ambiguity to preserve relations on all sides of global events, all while maintaining strong and clear stances on global issues. It is truly impressive to see this.”

While being just one of the ways that ANU students can expand on their classroom learning, exchange experiences undoubtedly offer something unique to other work-integrated programs.

It’s Alex’s opinion that immersing yourself in foreign contexts is a cultural imperative.

“There are different successful methods we could so easily learn if more often we opened our eyes to observe,” he says.

“A Co-op theatre exists down the road from my accommodation in Beimen, down the street a little further are open air temples easily accessible to the public. Everything felt so welcoming. I think this existence and investment into third spaces is an investment into community and empathy and is something I will certainly champion in the future.”

Through forging lasting relationships with academics and his rugby team, Alex built a solid community that has stayed with him.

“The rugby club members are all set for a rendezvous in Hong Kong for the 2026 Sevens World Cup, and one of the economics professors gave me his contact for future academic work.”

“I attended NTU which I found carries A LOT of academic weight South-East Asia and the US. There was a fantastic cross pollination of professors, with many of them ivy leaguers.”

New food experiences and a side-gig as a model rounded off an extraordinary period in Taiwan.

“$10 bought me a 2 Michelin star beef noodle soup. Seafood was so fresh and well-priced too, especially if you travel outside of Taipei. But, watching my wonderful friends slurp at gelatinised chicken feet during dinners was… a cultural change.”

The ANU College of Business and Economics offers an extensive range of specialised programs. Click here for more details.

Image credit: NTU Rugby Club