Adapting to life in Melbourne

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This article talks about:

• feelings on arrival in Melbourne for students
• the four steps to the BELT technique
• bringing it all together for a wonderful life here

Rita Soares, Permanent Resident of Australia, living in Melbourne and originally from Brazil, February 2003

Adapting to life in Melbourne

Coming to Melbourne as a newcomer is a big step for many people, especially students. We may have come from overseas, interstate or country Victoria. Our main reason for coming is to study, whether it be the English language, a course at TAFE, a degree or post-graduate studies at University or a course from some other educational institution.

I spent two and a half years as an overseas student in Melbourne. During that time (1999 to 2001) I compiled some information from international students as well as Australians students who had moved to Melbourne from another state or city. I asked them to list three adjectives to describe the way they felt when they first arrived in Melbourne to study.

Some of the adjectives I heard were:

• Confused
• Sad
• Excited
• Nervous
• Happy
• Disorientated
• Lonely

They also listed adjectives describing how they feel now:

• Adapted
• Still sad
• Disappointed
• Happy
• Lonely
• At ease

As you can see, it is usually mixed feelings: we feel sad to leave our family, friends and house behind and at the same time, excited and happy to come to a new city (or country if they are an international student). Some of us might cry at night, some might just take it all at ease and adapt quickly to the way of life here.

Some of the problems faced are common for most of us. For example, some of the overseas students might fight with a language barrier. Whether coming from another country, state or city, we might all face the problem of getting to know the city, being disorientated and a bit lost.

Some students said the difficulties they faced in the beginning were or still are:

• "When I arrived I did not know many people, or good places to eat, shop, etc. My biggest problem still is that things, compared to my currency, are very expensive."
• "Homesick"
• "Transport"
• "Not easy finding accommodation, a decent part-time job..."

However, it is not only dark clouds we see. Some of the good things about living in Melbourne are:

• "I made lots of good friends, most people are friendly"
• "Laid back attitude"
• "Safe city"
• "There are lots of exciting things to do: nightlife, rides, musicals, operas, shows..."

I found out from my own experience and from other newcomer students to Melbourne (whether from overseas, interstate or country) that having an imaginary BELT around me would have helped a lot during the first stages of my new life here. The BELT tactic is an acronym I created a while ago that comprises four simple steps. I found that these 4 steps helped me and other students adapt to life here. Here is my BELT technique:

B   Be proactive!

The worst thing you can do to yourself is to do nothing. I found that by staying home doing nothing, all my thoughts and feelings started delving into a vicious circle of sadness, fear and loneliness. These negative thoughts made me depressed. Depression hit me hard during the winter months, when I felt paralysed and spent most of my time at home watching television re-runs.

The best thing to do is to be active and to break the chain of negative thoughts: don't be afraid to ask questions and expose yourself to new experiences. Join a newcomers' club (Newcomers Network is a great start), go to events, museums, exhibitions, shows, etc. Melbourne has a wealth of events at any time of the year, some of them for free. Talk to your school adviser, invite some of your classmates out for a movie, go for a walk, go to the market, talk to people at the shops, read the local paper and find out about social activities in your area, join a volunteer group, find a part-time job.

During my "winter" depression, I stumbled across the local paper one week. There I found an ad about Latin American dance lessons at a nearby dance club and decided to try it. I met one of my best Aussie friends at the club and he has been a great inspiration to me since. You won't lose anything by staying home, but you sure won't gain anything either!

E   Enjoy it!

Take the time to enjoy the new sights, people and experiences you encounter. Some international and interstate students get so busy studying that they forget that they should allocate time for fun and play: you will be amazed at what you learn outside school! An example: one of the international students in my class was having difficulties with her English skills, especially her oral fluency. She was so worried about that "deficiency" that she would spend hours with a dictionary and grammar book under her arm. Most of the other international students, also coping with the language barrier, were out and about, practicing their oral language skills, watching movies, talking to people, not afraid of making mistakes. Their oral language skills developed far quicker that way than by concentrating on a grammar book, overstudying, and being too shy.

L   Laugh!

When something totally embarrassing happens to you, don't feel silly, just have a giggle about it. I will never forget my second day in Melbourne, trying to buy a daily Met ticket at Flagstaff Train Station. The ticket seller yelled out:

"Whatayaftah?"

I was the only one in the queue, but I still looked around thinking he might be speaking in another language to somebody else. He repeated:

"Whatayaftah?"

Okay, I thought, now he is definitely speaking with me... and I started wondering what language that was. For the third time:

"Whatayaftah?"

By this time the guy was getting impatient, as I could tell by his red face and eyes. Somehow I walked out of there with a daily Metcard ticket, I still don't know how. It was just hours later that I realised what he was saying: "Whatayaftah?" meant "What are you after?". At the time, I thought I was the stupidest person on Earth, and that was the most embarrassing moment of my life. Nowadays I just laugh about it!

T   Time (Give it time!)

"Time will put things into place" my mum's favourite saying. Some of us try to do all at once, and admittedly, there are a lot of things that need to be taken care of once we get to Melbourne: opening new bank accounts or transferring funds from overseas, finding appropriate accommodation, buying school textbooks, getting to know the public transport system, finding good places to shop for groceries, clothes and medicine, etc. These are things that need to be done, but that doesn't mean that you should try to accomplish all of them on your first day or week here.

I still remember my first week in Melbourne: I was trying to see and do it all! Central Business District (CBD), beach, zoo, shopping, bank, accommodation... I wish I had been a bit more relaxed and taken the time to do one thing at a time! As I found out later, my "rush" was causing me to make hurried and bad decisions. I rushed into finding accommodation but after three weeks after moving into my flatmate's place, found out that it wasn't really what I wanted. Talk to people, listen and do one thing at a time. Trust me, it may not seem that way at the beginning, but at the end, everything will be all right.

To finish it off, I will quote Mark Twain, who said very wisely:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

I believe that adapting to life in a new city or country is exactly the way that Mark Twain describes the way we should be: if you are pro-active and explore all possibilities, you will gain much more than if you don't do anything. Explore Melbourne! Dream about your goals here! Discover this wonderful four-seasons-in-one day city!

Rita Soares is no longer an "international student" but currently resides in Melbourne as a permanent resident She holds a Bachelor of Languages and an Advanced Diploma in Tourism Management. Her interests include international relocation of expatriates, immigrants and overseas students, foreign language learning, international tourism, and cross-cultural issues.

> other international student related pages on the Newcomers Network website include:

>other moving related pages on the Newcomers Network website include:

>most recent first:
Visiting Australia - for business or pleasure, tourist commissions for all states
Police in Victoria Australia - multicultural services, information, asking for help, how to stay safe, emergency, links
Medical Benefits Cover and Health Insurance in Australia
renting a property in melbourne
jobs resources - including a pre departure employment checklist
home loans in Australia – how much can I borrow, how do I get finance, credit rating, interest rates, deposit amount, overseas income
friends across cultures tribe - ryze network - online dialogue discussing expatriate life
rosemary beavis - moving - a poem
why invest in Australia - property discussion
before the move
deciding to move
purchasing property - a buyer adviser's view
choosing and purchasing a property in melbourne
temporary accommodation options - various solutions
where do Aussies go to retire?

perfect packing principles
accommodation for international students
adapting to life in Melbourne
lost in space and global transition - is there a difference?
healthy dwelling, healthy you

moving you
immigration unwrapped
buying or renting property in melbourne
moving your best friend
coming to Australia to live and invest

country newcomers and the lure of the bright city lights
moving with kids
homecoming
newcomers network settles in
suffering in silence


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