It was an amazing journey when I arrived in Melbourne, took public transportation to my accommodation, and visited Deakin University, where I will study for my Master's degree in Film and Television for two years.
I brought two large suitcases, one backpack, and a carry-on bag for the three-hour journey from the airport to the accommodation I found on Facebook while I was in Taiwan, but I hadn't paid the rental fee yet until I arrived. I stayed in contact with the landlord and my future roommate to ensure I could successfully reach the accommodation.
At the beginning, I felt a little nerves when I arrived at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne. Fortunately, I encountered many kind people, such as Bruce, the driver of the 75 tram. He took me from the station to Box Hill South, which turned out to be the wrong destination due to a roadblock on the original route. However, he patiently explained the situation to all passengers and directed me on how to reach my destination, Burwood, by taking the 732 bus. He is such an enthusiastic person that he even sang the birthday song for a customer celebrating his birthday while driving the bus.
Additionally, I met an old lady who talked to me a lot while we were waiting for the 75 tram. She came from Germany but has been living in Melbourne for more than 30 years. She said I was good at speaking English when I told her it was my first day here.
All the people I met helped ease my stress and left a positive impression on me.
Due to the mixture of ethnicities and cultures here, the citizens are very kind to foreigners, service personnel are patient, and officers are friendly and helpful to visitors. Even though the weather is cold, the people are warmhearted and make me feel at home.
After nearly 5 hours of commuting time, delayed by traffic and missing the bus, I eventually arrived at my accommodation. My two roommates, K and Derek, who are Chinese, welcomed me here.
K brought me to a 24-hour market to buy some stuff. Our place is a bit far from downtown, but it is quiet and suitable for studying.
Deakin - The next day, I went to my university, Deakin University.
It's just a 5-minute walk from my dormitory to the university.
The first building on campus near Burwood Highway looks like a technology company from the outside.
There were few students because the new trimester hadn't started yet. Nevertheless, before the end of this week, I attended two amazing events held for international students.
International Student Introduction Day
When I arrived at the plaza of the HC building, which is the main student central located on campus, all the staff here were very friendly and keen to help solve any issues for new students.
The staff and seniors are very kind in introducing everything and addressing any issues new students may encounter. It sounds very helpful and warmhearted.
They not only care about your studies but also your part-time jobs, your safety, and your connection with classmates and tutors.
Deakin University also provides many clubs that you can participate in, based on your interests.
They are willing to help students find good jobs during their study period and after graduation.
I can't wait to study and collaborate with them from different majors, countries, ethnicities, and cultures.
One staff member's sharing was very impressive to me. She used a very relaxed way to express her mindset, which will be very useful for new students living on campus in the future.
These quotes are especially beneficial for younger individuals, although not necessarily for me, I appreciate that she shared them with us.
Ultimately, we took a picture with all the staff.
I can imagine that my life will be filled with pink color people during the two years at Deakin, haha.
Eventually, I bought the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 vlogging camera that my Taiwanese friend recommended to me. The price here is not too expensive and is similar to that in Taiwan.
Most short videos will be released on my IG.
Friday Friends
After the international student introduction, the next event is the Happy Friday Friends event hosted by the International Student Connect Club.
Before it starts at 2:30 PM, I went to the Student Central to make sure my enrollment for this trimester.
There, I met an older man, Shawn, who has studied five majors in Melbourne and is now studying Music Production at Deakin University.
He is amazing and very familiar with playing the piano. I saw a video he shared with me, where he played a grand piano in St. Paul Cathedral in downtown Melbourne city.
We talked about many topics, including why we study here, our future plans, potential collaboration opportunities, and politics. He mentioned numerous Taiwanese politicians, even some I wasn't familiar with. He is 80 years old and has an 8-year-old son, yet he continues to study and pursue his life's purpose. I told him why and how I changed my major to filmmaking, and he even encouraged me to grasp the opportunity to combine computer techniques with filmmaking, which would bring unexpected growth and experiences during my two years at Deakin University.
"It's a pivot" he said.
It really gave me a huge confidence boost at the beginning of my study life in Australia.
We went to Foo Moo Cafe on campus together and said goodbye, promising to keep in touch.
At the Friday Friends party, I met many new friends, including Natasha, Vineet, Kratik, Agam, and An.
Box Hill - A Chinese Village 10mins' drive away from our place.
I went to this area two times this week because it is full of Chinese gourmet food, including Taiwanese tea shops.
Here you can find many house selling advertisements and stores opened by Chinese. K has a part-time job in house sales and plans to invest in real estate here. Take another look at myself, even though the rental prices in the area are high, I still don't have enough money to buy a house.
At least I can have a haircut here.
Melbourne City - the downtown of Melbourne
It is about an hour away by public transport from my accommodation to the city.
I really like the area near South Melbourne.
The nighttime view of Melbourne is appealing.
