KUCHING (Sarawak, Malaysia) - One of the first things that strike a visitor to Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus in Kuching, Malaysia, is the diversity of its student population. Here, you will encounter students from as far as Europe and China.

International students from over 40 countries account for about 18 per cent of the university's 3,000-odd students. Some of their countries of origin include Australia, the African continent, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

Each year, students from Swinburne's partner universities in Europe go on exchange to the Sarawak campus. Swinburne's home campus is in Melbourne, Australia and the Sarawak campus is its only international branch university.

For computing student Thushanth Sivaratnam of Colombo, Sri Lanka, the mix of students and the cultures they bring with them to the campus is a rich and interesting experience. "There are students from many countries and those students from each country have a different way of doing things," said Thushanth. As an example, he demonstrated how African students turn a handshake into something that could be considered creative.

Some students from abroad are also good at certain subjects, he said, and attributed this to their secondary school syllabus which may be ahead of other countries'. As part of a learning experience, he finds that it is also of educational value to learn the opinions of other students and to look at issues from their perspective.

Through his interaction with local Malaysian students, Thushanth has also picked up a few words of Malay, and proudly demonstrated his ability in the command of the local language. Getting to know people from other countries, he said, was important. "I may be working with an international team or in one of these countries. And getting to know students from other countries gives me an understanding of the people I will be dealing with and their culture," said Thushanth who will be completing his final semester next year.

As a member of a number of student clubs, he has had the opportunity to explore Kuching, its tourism spots and other towns in Sarawak and experienced some of its festivals and local cuisine through the activities these clubs organise.

After having tried most of the local fare his only issue, he said with a big smile, was that "it's not spicy enough for us South Asians". Like Thushanth, the most interesting experience about living and studying abroad for Jude Benedict Gayashan Fernando is the constant interaction he has with people from around the world.

"I find it interesting to learn about people and their culture, how they react to a certain situation. I think this is important because later on in my career I will be working with people from all over the world," says Fernando, who lives off campus with fellow students from Malaysia and his home country.

"I've made a lot of new friends and I enjoy sharing our opinions about things," said the 20-year-old from Colombo who is also reading computing at the Sarawak campus. Fernando, who teamed up with a student from Tanzania, recently won the Swinburne Sarawak Debate Challenge Trophy.

At the university's recent 'Cultural Night' performance attended by more than 400 people, the combination of Pakistani and Sri Lankan students bagged the Outstanding Audience Appeal as well as the Outstanding Overall Performance prizes.

The annual event was held to appreciate and celebrate the multiculturalism of the university. Students from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Indonesia, Uganda and Malaysia put up a spectacular fashion show, as well as songs and dances.

Students from Bangladesh were awarded for Outstanding Sound and Clarity while Indonesian students won the Outstanding Teamwork category. Like their charges, academic staff at the campus is made up of Malaysians as well as highly qualified expatriates.

The highly diverse mix of both student and staff population makes Swinburne Sarawak a truly international university.