Published in the Uni publication

Student Life

-Moheindu Chemjong

I started my student life in Australia in the beginning of 2003 and today, after almost twenty-one months of being a student at the Edith Cowan University (ECU), I can proudly say that I’ve come a long way and I’ve learnt more than I had ever thought…So where do I begin?

Before I go on, let me tell you a little about the culture of my home country, Nepal. Like in many Asian countries, the academic system is hugely focussed on rote-learning rather than analysing and giving a critique. And, therefore, I was an expert when it comes to learning by heart but besides my experience as a journalist, I had never learnt to research or critically analyse texts and think independently when it comes to assignments. Similarly, on the home front, too things are very different. People from good families have people to do the household chores and chauffeurs to drive them around. The members of the families who are still students have only one priority in life and that is to study. It is for this kind of tradition that I hailed from that I had never lived on my own, looked after the house or ever cooked a single meal!

When I arrived I was hardly prepared for the huge difference and the cultural gap but I knew I was here for a purpose, to earn a degree and therefore, I pushed on, I tried and survived. The best thing about my lectures at ECU were that they were mostly in the evenings. The night hawk that I am, I enjoyed doing all my research and writing assignments till late in the night and wake up comfortably and then go to lectures in the evenings. Therefore, my evening lectures would be like going out in the evenings with friends and attending some seminar conducted at some hi-fi conference hall before a cocktail party! Soon, I learnt that the students are assessed not only in their exams like in my home country but we had assignments to do and presentations to give. In the first semester, I did have a difficult time with the assignments and reports because I was not familiar with the expectations out of the students but with a little help from the Academic Advisor, I soon started getting distinctions. By the second semester, my grades improved drastically and I was absolutely thrilled. I learnt that starting well ahead in time whether it came to assignments or presentations was the way to score well and maybe it was because of this reason that I spent hours after hours studying! I noticed how people in Australia mostly wear formals on special occasions unlike in my home country and when my classmates started asking me if I had presentations because of my dress-up, I decided to be a Roman in Rome! I started sticking to casuals and smart casuals. I loved presentations for they would allow me to go to class in my Sunday best! Presentations were a fantastic way of learning how other people speak in public and also gave me a chance to practice my presentation skills. Those were the days when I would get butterflies in my stomach but after doing many of them, I can now that I am very confident when it comes to presentations.

The other type of assessment was group work where two, three people had to put their heads together and work in a team. Though at times, arranging for meetings was quite an ordeal as we had to take all the group members in consideration, I think it was worth the effort. There was a time when a certain group member tried to be pushy but in rest of the other group assignments, I had a very enjoyable time. Working together as professionals, commenting on one another’s contributions and getting to know my colleagues better was fantastic indeed. Group work not only led to stress but also to some wonderful friendships! But, I think the best part were the exams. Having studied in Asia and having mastered almost all the skills of giving exams, I enjoyed sitting for exams. When I was first told about the take-home exams, I was in cloud nine! Never had exams been made so very easy and all we had to do was to look for the answers, though I admit that the questions in take-home exams are very tricky! When I could go to the beach, lie down on the sand and do my take-home exam, I couldn’t ask for more. And even the exams where the questions given before hand were fabulous, I could concentrate on the answers that I am confident in and prepare them only to get very good marks! Therefore, I was completely satisfied by the way the assessments were done and though I had never learnt to think outside the square, I think I have very well learnt the skills on doing presentations, writing critiques and also faring well in exams.

When the pressure of the exams mounted and when I thought that I had reached the saturation point, I used to just pack my bags and head to Down south for a couple of days’ break. Australia’s beautiful landscapes and lovely beaches always did the trick and then I would come back, feeling rejuvenated as ever. In the run of taking breaks, I went to Melbourne, Sydney, and Western Australia’s down south. Besides reading, I have become a movie buff and because I can utilize my thinking skills even to movies, I have become quite of a movie critic. Maybe later in time, I could use this skill combined with my writing to be a professional movie critic!

The lecturers too were fantastic. Not only were they highly educated, skilled and very professional but they were also were very helpful, friendly and understanding. This made the whole learning experience for me as an international student very convenient, interesting and enriching. Some of them were so passionate about their subjects that I used to catch their bug and go home feeling completely satisfied after every single lecture. Some of them spoke so eloquently and I think I could thank them for their use of idioms, sayings and such beautiful words that even my vocabulary has greatly increased!  It was wonderful to know how they climbed the ladder of success and in a way, some of my teachers were role models for me. One of the lecturers was a highly qualified lady with the brains, the sense of humour, charm and the drive and I could completely relate to her and in fact, I wish to be like her in some ways when I am her age! On the whole, the teachers at Edith Cowan University were brilliant and I feel privileged to have been their students.

The other lot of people I met at University were my colleagues from different parts of the world-from Kenya to Korea and from United Kingdom to India. It was a lovely, cosmopolitan mixture of students from different races, cultures and ethnicities all doing all the same course, all with a common purpose of doing well in life. Being in a lecture theatre with all the highly-motivated students, I also felt like giving in my best and aspiring to fulfil all my dreams and ambitions. Though at first I was intimidated by the fact that I was one of the young students in the postgraduates, I learnt that even my experiences and my opinions are listened to with great interest and slowly, I was comfortable sharing my thoughts and work experiences in my home country. I got a wonderful opportunity to learn about the different cultures of my fellow classmates, the different work practice in different cultures and in the run, I have some wonderful friends whom I know will be friends for life.

On the home front, things were equally interesting. I rented an apartment but I had no idea how to look after the house and how to cook. After living on sandwiches, instant noodles and take-a ways, I decided to learn how to cook. I started with the simple recipes and in my learning process, I burnt my hands, cut my fingers and wasted a lot of food but then slowly, I got a feel of cooking. I then graduated to cooking some decent dishes and within a year, I became quite a good cook. My friends developed a liking to my cooking and at this point of time, cooking has become a great passion for me and whenever I have spare time in hand, I try to cook yet another gourmet cuisine and when I go back home this summer, I am planning to impress my family members with my newly acquired skill! But in spite of my culinary skills, every time the pressure of assignments became difficult to handle as deadlines arrived, I used to head to Hungry Jacks’, Dominoes, MacDonald’s or some fast food restaurant, maybe a bit too much! At the same time, I also learnt how to clean and look after the house. I’ve also learnt some tips of gardening and my little garden of petunia and my lemon grass plants are doing fantastic! In fact, from the studious student of back home, I have also become quite a home-maker! While doing the household chores, I used to remember the uneducated women in the villages whose sole duty is house-keeping and how they have to wash dishes with cold water and straw even in the freezing cold weathers because hot water is a luxury! Thinking about these tolerant, hard-working women in Nepal makes wants me to do well in my studies and remember what my duties towards my motherland and the unprivileged people in Nepal. Doing the household chores has also made me realize the joys and pains of the people working in my house and wonder what it is to do just household chores for a living. In fact, I’ve also become responsible, patient, understanding and sensitive of other people’s needs. Therefore, doing the daily household rituals has not only made me ready to be a good home-maker later in life but has taught me some valuable lessons in life.

Today, University life has ended for me and I am preparing for my exams. I’ve deeply fallen in love with ECU and I feel I will miss the wonderful University, my friends, my favourite place-the Churchlands library with the huge collection of books, the much loved Mega lab, the cafeterias, and the Postgraduate lab. I will also miss being in an academic environment of learning. But heart of hearts, I will always treasure and cherish my student life at the Edith Cowan University and I will remain indebted for what it has given me-a degree, a chance to grow intellectually, a chance to become a better person. It has given me the hope that I can soar high above in the sky and has armed me with the skills to do so!