Reflections of an overseas student studying in Australia

I am native Chinese girl from Beijing and I have studied in Australia for one and a half years now. At last I have graduated to a Masters Degree and I can reflect on this period which has been tinged with happiness, anxiety, sadness and loneliness

Many times I have asked myself; why am I putting myself through all this? I was happy in a very good executive job in Beijing and I had my ordinary degree in business studies. Why did I resign from such a comfortable position? Why did I have to say goodbye to my parents and friends for so long? Why was I committing my dear parents to invest their life savings to finance me?

Many such questions were going through my mind as I embarked on this adventure and it only now I can reflect on this.

I arrived in Newcastle full of dreams, joy and expectation which were somewhat dashed by loneliness and confusion at being in a new country. Luckily my English is very good but I still struggled to find accommodation, decent transport and shopping. I have been spoilt by Beijing and its urbanisation compared to Newcastle.

I well remember my first day at University attempting to find the Student Centre. The University was so big it seemed like a forest in which I was quickly lost. Luckily another student and showed me to the Student Centre for admissions.

I was soon to recognise the pleasant coastal climate, the relaxed life of Australians but I could not settle. Nagging my mind was the sacrifices my

parents had made for me which put me under tremendous pressure to succeed.

I really needed to find part time work to assist my funding but alas this did not seem obtainable as Newcastle was quite small.

With a heavy heart I also seemed to have lack of vigour compared with some of the younger students. After 4 months of working and lots of soul searching I quit Australia and returned to Beijing.

My mind was telling me lots of reasons to do this, my age, the cost to my parents, the fact that I could get a good white collar job in China, etc. But once back in Beijing I soon regretted my decision. I was incompetent; I had resigned my dreams!

These thoughts nagged my mind incessantly and I arranged to return to Australian University to complete my Masters Degree. But this time I chose to study in Sydney where I considered I would be more suited.

This time with my limited experience I prepared myself psychologically; I was now prepared to do any work however menial.

I arrived in Sydney and walked the streets looking for part time work. It was not easy walking down George Street, not everyone was polite and it was obvious even in a large city jobs were not easy to come by. But I persevered with new vigour and determination and within two weeks had found work as a Store Clerk in a ladies clothing store, it was minimum wage but that did not matter anymore.

It was amazing how that one success boosted my confident. Working with work mates and the public was lovely; hard work but that did not matter.

I went from there to another ladies fashion shop and also got another small job teaching Chinese.

As my confidence improved so my studies improved also; I received good marks for my first trimester.

As the study pressures intensified I had to give up working for a time but I was up and running with the Australian system and culture and I would never look back.

In between studies I again worked as a check-out clerk at Woolworths which was great working with a team of assistants and meeting the public daily.

I was also very lucky to get another temporary job as a marketing assistant and yet another wonderful job for an Australian female artist to promote her artistic life. Another year had passed and my Masters Degree concluded with very satisfactory results for me.

But on reflection the Masters Degree was just a small part of my education in Australia. The early days of wrestling with my mind, running back home for a few months, the final variety of part time jobs I achieved; they all became part of this overall education.

I hope this small story about me will encourage other overseas students who are bound to suffer similar pangs of anxiety, homesickness and lack of money. Believe in yourself and stick to it and you will succeed.

It was not easy and I am so proud of my achievement.

Angie Wang