Many people would ask, “Where is Brunei?” You may explain that Brunei is a small country bordering  Malaysia. When you continue to explain that Brunei is located in the northern Malay Archipelago (Kalimantan Island), people may be confused. So you’d better explain that Brunei and Singapore are adjacent. If they still don’t have a clue about Brunei, they must see the light when you tell Brunei becomes the richest country in the world now by exporting oil and gas. The present head of state Sultan Haji HASSANAL BOLKIAH Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah was the richest person once in the world.

Brunei is a veritable pocket country with a total area of 5,765 square kilometers(2,226square miles) The total population of Brunei is about 370,000 of which 67% are Malays, 15%are Chinese and the other 18% are ethnic groups, such as Indian and Pakistani. As it is, English and Chinese are more popular than the Malay language although it is the national language.The state religion of Brunei is Islam which peacefully coexists with other religions in the country, such as Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

 

My experience here is not filled with all  fun and excitement because this is the first time I go abroad. Although there is no big problem in communication, I cannot help feeling homesick. Fortunately, the people of Brunei have always been friendly. I still remember Hajah Roshina, a teacher of Universiti Brunei Darussalam, met us at  the airport and arranged accommodation for us. However, it was still the holiday when I got to Brunei and no restaurants opened in the university and the shops in the university shut up so early at 4 pm, so i had  no choice but cooking noodles for that night. But the most dissatisfaction in the university is about the telephone. With no GSM card in Brunei but an international IC card which I got from a late international exchange student, I just wanted to tell my families I have arrived safely. But no  public telephon are vailable in the university. 

The first problem you are going to meet in a foreign country is dially life. The person in charge of the exchange students in Universiti Brunei Darussalam helped us solving many problems such as visa, IDcard, student card and so on. But in the very beginning, we’ve still been annoyed a lot by the daily necessity. I’ve mentioned that the shops in the campus closed early at 4pm, you could find nothing like towel in it but snacks and stationeries. I still remembered the first three days without toothbrush and toothpaste. Luckily later the chairperson of the international student union of the university Sara and her sister did us a lot of favors—they took us to a large mall for shopping. Actually after that we almost cram the car of our friends embarrassedly every time we go shopping, for you never know when you could hitch a ride for shopping next time.

As an exchange student, the most important thing is to make use of this opportunity to study hard. In Universiti Brunei Darussalam, English is adopted as the medium of instruction in all the classes except the foreign language courses. A considerable number of the teachers of this university are the doctors coming from Europe and America, while others are Malaysian, Singaporean, and of course, the local people. But all the administrative affairs are charged by the local teachers. Brunei University has quite good  teachers, so it is the good opportunities to gain more knowledge form them. However, It is a pity that some of the students in Brunei University do not try hard.

When it comes to selecting courses, it is similar with Ji’nan University. At the beginning of every semester, the students can primary select from any existing programme offered by most faculities in one to two weeks. They can get the timetable from the office, searching on the Internet, or consult with the department head and the teachers for the course and the time of it. But one difference from Chinese universities is that all the students in Brunei have the majors and the minors, which can be the unrelated progammes. In addition, each course consists of lectures and tutorial lessons. For instance, for a course of 4 credit unit, three-hour lectures and one-hour coaching lesson should be taken every week. The timetable of coaching lessons is usually arranged based on the agreement between students and teachers in the first semester.  In the  tutorial lessons,students are required to  discuss homework, deiver speech or make  group discussion. In my opinion, we should take our class in this way to make things hum in classes and arouse students interest.

 

 Some classes are very small at the University of Brunei because of the small number of students. I remember that one of my chosen courses was selected just by two students, but the teacher also can give us the lecture, as if I was attached the importance as “a post-graduate in China”. The assignments almost are the group work and writing thesis. Many presentations are taken in class, on which all the students who dress themselves pay more attentions. Like China, student performance will be assessed partly by an examination and partly by assignments, attendance and tutorial participation. Before final examination, teachers will give the results of other factors and give notice to students.

Most of the final examination in Brunei University is to write a thesis, especially for the seniors. It is a bit difficult for us whose mother language is not English and our  English  writing speed has been a big problem in examination. The final examination is taken in an auditorium in Brunei University, which is the same with Ji’nan University. Usually, the examination time is three hours. The students have to finish 3-4 articles each of which is about 1,500words, which is a challenge for us. Students will be graded using grades A – F. But one thing should be mentioned that students who get E, mastering about 40% to 49%, won’t take supplementary examination. But if you want to keep your head above water in your report in China, the grade must above C.

 

For more information about the University Brunei Darussalam, please attach to this office website: www.ubd.edu.bn.

 

I wish to take this opportunity to appreciate the people who help me in this exchange project. They are:

The leaders of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Negara Brunei Darussalam for their attention and help to us,

The leaders and teachers of International Cooperation and Exchange Office of Ji’nan University, especially Miss Li Qiong for her supporting and attention,

The leaders and teachers of the Foreign Language College of Ji’nan University, especially for the Director Dai Canyu and Pro.Zhong Xisoluo,

The leaders and teachers, especially for Mr. Demigo and the leaders and teachers of the International Office,

And all the members of International Society of the University Brunei Darussalam, especially for Ms. Nuzuhath Aminath and the Chairman Sara.