Arriving in a new country, not knowing anyone or not knowing your way around can be a daunting, intimidating and overwhelming experience. It is the first time you have been separated from your family and the comfort of familiarity in a country that you call home. Without the necessary support and assistance, it is understandable why many people feel depressed and lost, not used to the independence and relative solidarity one feels when in a completely new atmosphere.
As was with me, the first few days in Australia were lonely and disheartening. I missed my family, my friends, my dog, the cooking, almost everything. I longed to return home and started counting the days when I would be going back. Things gradually started to change, however, as I lived through each day and started to get settled into the new place I was living in, one, which I would eventually call my home.
As a new international student, Madre Nazarena Student's House (MNSH) is the perfect place for me to stay as it has provided me with a friendly and wholesome environment where I had the chance to meet many new people from many backgrounds and interests. I never felt lonely as the comfort of a friend to talk to or share my thoughts with were just a door knock away. Not only that, the student house gave me enough privacy for myself, as I had my own room, fully furnished and very comfortable indeed. It really is ideal for studying.
Although I wasn't staying in a residential college or on campus accommodation, I found MNSH to be most convenient as there is a tram stop situated right in front of it and it is a five-minute walk to the nearest train station, East Richmond Station. When I want to buy groceries, clothes or anything else, shops are a mere walk away and I never feel like I have to venture out anywhere else. At the same time, it is close to the city and is not isolated or far from any interesting events that may be on in the area.
All in all, I find MNSH an ideal place to live in and would recommend it to any young woman who longs to find a place to stay while she studies as this is where all her living needs are met and, most importantly, where she will always find the comradeship of the Sisters, who run the house, and the other student residents who so quickly become friends.
Sonia