I feel much more refreshed after spending 3 weeks away from Melbourne. After being sad and frustrated for one entire semester, it’s time to get back on the horse and start off the new semester and, the new academic year with the right note.
My year 2 subjects- Principles of Marketing and Principles of Market Research do look extremely promising, albeit the 1000, 2000 word reports that I would need to write. Nonetheless, I’m excited because this is what I’ve been waiting for- specialisation and learning things that I’m really interested. I’m also doing Global Politics this semester, which looks pretty much like a crossover between history and philosophy.
Another reason why I’m excited is because I’ve signed up for a bunch of activities to fill my semester- volunteering for the Starlight Children’s Foundation and hosting orientation. I’m feeling more confident in taking active steps to be more involved in university considering that I’ve finally settled in.
There is a tendency for international students to feel unproductive and fruitless in their first year as they try to adapt to the new environment and having to adjust expectations. Another reason is also because of the unwillingness to be spending money to join activities. This is perfectly understandable because they are pricey after all. However, this is what a friend of mine told me: ‘really try to do as many things as you would dream to do in uni life, because once you start working, chances will be limited for us to do so.’
How true… another quote from a book that I’ve read recently: ‘that’s the beauty of a formal education- it makes you read a lot of stuff you’d normally never bother with’. That’s for reading, but it applies to many others as well. I wanna learn many things- dancing, a musical instrument and most importantly, start the habit of reading again.
Conclusion? Dare to do things that you never thought that you’d ever do- skydive, speak in another language, play a musical instrument. Remember you are your worst enemy.
