“I was in my late teens when my Mom felt I should move to Australia to acquire a good education. I didn’t know what to expect of the new environment, but I had my sister and some of my cousins with me, so I was at ease. Plus, the idea of having an overseas degree felt like a cool thing to do. Moving somewhere new gives you a wonderful chance to reinvent yourself, and it amazed me to see how people here truly know how to live their lives. It is also a part of the reason why Australia is known to be one of the largest multicultural countries in the world. You name a community, and you have it. Upon my arrival, I was overwhelmed with the language challenge for the first few months. Despite studying English, I found it a little freaky to understand the strong Australian accent. One time I went to this hairdresser on the ground floor of my apartment, and I could not communicate what kind of hairstyle I wanted for myself. Thank goodness he could figure out himself. Fourteen years on, he’s still my go-to person for hairstyling, and we laugh so much remembering about our first meeting. When I look back, I come to appreciate and value things in an entirely different way. After completing University at the age of 21, when half of my friends decided to go back to their home country; I made a promise to myself to stay here, find a job and not letting any opportunity to grow, go! And it’s a good feeling to know that I could do all of it and more. Some days would seem uncertain, and that is fine. But promise yourself that you’re willing to give it a proper go. Oh, and patience. Australia is unbeatable. You walk on the streets, and almost everyone is willing to say hello. Even though you live in a western country, but you end up feeling like it’s a second home to you.”