Sara Rusdiah
It was a balmy 28-degree night in Bali sometime in late September 2010. I was crying non-stop at the airport after saying goodbye to my parents. I was leaving home for the very first time.
The next morning, I woke up to a 6-degree, windy day in Melbourne with my suitcases and zero knowledge of what to expect from there on. I was warmly greeted by my lovely homestay mum.
That was the beginning of a chapter where I moved into a house, shared with 15 other international students after having spent my life as a spoilt only child.
Fast forward to the next few days and an overwhelming amount of information later, I managed to learn the basics of the city, opened a bank account with the help of my host father, Malcolm, and got myself a SIM card, again with Malcolm’s help as I was underaged at the time.
I have never used public transport before. Trying to work out the transport system to get to university and deciding which MYKI card to buy, understanding what OSHC meant, and what was deemed an emergency that required a call for the ambulance – all these were new to me.
Fast forward to the next few months, and an even more overwhelming amount of information later, I managed to find myself a reliable group of friends, and a somewhat steady footing in my academic progress.
My teachers thought I was doing well overall, but behind all that there were layers of stress and anxiety that I did not communicate to anyone:
What if I don’t get good enough marks to get into my preferred university?
What if I don’t get a scholarship? My parents keep on insisting that I find ways to earn a scholarship to reduce their financial burden, but I just didn’t think I’m that smart.
What if I disappoint my parents?
What if I fail and I don’t make it?
One of my friends started staying out late, smoked pot, experimented with drugs and partied a lot. Should I do the same thing so that I’m perceived as cool? I have not yet made any Aussie friends because everyone at my school are international students. I don’t feel like I can fit in with the broad Australian society.
I find it very hard to have to do household chores myself because I grew up having others who took care of those household duties. Washing, cleaning, ironing, cooking, vacuuming are all new and rather daunting.
This is just a snapshot of the issues I faced. But, if you had asked my peers they would certainly add many more:
My accommodation provider has been treating me badly, I want to move out, but I don’t know how to start looking for a new place.
My English is not fluent, and as a result, I am failing my assignments even though I used to be a top student in my home country.
I miss my parents and friends back home, and I am depressed because I feel very lonely here.
I don’t know where or how to seek help and at times I feel very lost.
I am unable to make friends and it can get quite lonely.
I hate the food at my accommodation, and it is too expensive to eat out all the time.
It is really hard to find a job and I have bills to pay.
A key commonality across these issues, I believe, is ultimately rooted in the cultural discrepancy between Australia and our home countries, such as language, academic expectations, familial values, societal norms, peer groups, lifestyle, and religious beliefs.
Based on my experience, any discussion of the emotional health of international students should ultimately address how we can help them better adapt to their new home without forgoing and forgetting their cultural identity.
It has now been almost a decade since that fateful night in September, and here I am living in and loving Australia in the same way that I love and respect where I come from.
Thanks to the kindness and generosity of many, many people I have been lucky to have met here throughout my journey so far.
Sara Rusdiah was born and raised in Surabaya, Indonesia. She made Melbourne her home when she came to Australia at 17 years old in 2010. After completing her Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Psychology from University of Melbourne, she moved to Sydney and is currently working for a leading insurance company.