I got an opportunity to meet new students from other cultures during Orientation Week at Deakin. I found it to be fascinating as it is a completely different environment compared to high school. At Deakin, there were students from all over the world. We were attending lectures and tutorials together. But initially, it was hard for me to communicate with students from other countries as I am an international student with my mother tongue being Cantonese and Mandarin. Also, I am really shy and feel nervous that the conversation with them will end quickly. Hence, I was anxious about making friends from different cultures. This made me feel isolated and I found it difficult to fit in.
But this situation changed after I joined a few student clubs and societies, like the Deakin Sri Lankan & Indian Club and The Australian Union of Jewish students. They gave me a new perspective on Deakin. I got to learn more about different foods, events and traditions in various countries all over the world. This helped me to connect with other students and integrate into university life. For example, now I start conversations with other people and try to find out whether we have any common interests. It provides me with the opportunity, as well as for them, to learn about foreign languages, countries and cultures. I learnt that all these students are just like me; they feel lonely sometimes. But they are all nice and friendly. So we are all in the same boat. Now, I am enjoying the life of cultural diversity at Deakin while studying my double degree undergraduate course.
