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I was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. I lived there for 19 years before moving to Perth. If anyone suggested studying abroad to me three years ago I would have said no without a doubt. I loved being at home in South Africa with my family, I never wanted to leave the safety net that was my home.

A couple years ago my best friend moved to Australia with his family and sometimes I wondered how it felt to move to a foreign country. My mom always told me it would be a new experience for me and that I should consider it. While I’ve always been afraid to step out of my comfort zone, I decided to apply for universities in Perth. Not long after, I came to Australia with my parents to visit the universities.

After visiting Perth, I was certain I really liked it and wanted to move here. I applied for a place in UniHall and a few months later I got the news that I’d been accepted. I tried to make the most out of my last few weeks in South Africa spending time with my family and brothers, l flew down to Perth with my parents. Surprisingly I wasn’t that nervous even when my parents left Perth. I was just emotional. A couple days after it hit me that I was all by myself, I had no one to rely on or anyone to help me with anything, I felt homesick and lonely. Things changed after a month of being in UniHall, I started to make good friends and enjoyed the college experience.

The longer I stayed at UniHall the happier I got, I could always count on having great friends to have my back. I felt that I was part of something, a community. Throughout the year, I grew as a person more than I ever did in the past 19 years and that alone makes this experience worth it.

Written by UniHaller Kavish

Media references

Kelly Sheppard, Marketing and Communications Officer, University Hall, 9273 3488