‘A great decision’: Anna shares how Friday Friends helped her to settle into life in Australia
Starting university isn’t always easy. If you’re also studying away from home, it can be even harder to get used to new routines, unfamiliar places and strange expressions or customs.
The best way to feel at home in Australia and at Deakin is to make some friends! It’s especially helpful to meet people in the same situation as you, so we’re bringing our Trimester 2 commencing international students together for some fun and relaxed social activities.
Friday Friends are casual one-hour catch-ups held on campus every Friday for the first four weeks of trimester. Hosted by a student leader who knows the ins and outs of Deakin life, you’ll be able to get to know your campus, meet other students and ask any questions you have about uni or Australia.
It’s free and organised for you, so just come along and chat to other new students.
But don’t just take our word for it! Meet Anna Vigano, who’s from Italy and started at Deakin in February to do a PhD in psychology. Anna shares why she went to Friday Friends and how it’s helped her to settle in:
‘I found out about Friday Friends event on a Deakin Facebook page. At the beginning, I did not want to participate because the idea of meeting strangers was quite intimidating, but then I changed my mind. That was a great decision because I met people that I would have not met otherwise.
‘I like the fact that we were supported and guided to know each other, either through a game or just talking on some common topics.
‘I recommend this program to any international student because you’ll have the possibility to meet new people and share with them those difficulties related to adapting to a different country. Knowing that others had similar problems to mine helped me to feel less alone in dealing with them. Plus, it was the best way to make some friends and create a network.’
Just remember, most of the students are here to create new friendships, so do not be shy or intimidated by introducing yourself. You have nothing to lose, only to gain!
Sound good? Register for Friday Friends on your campus – we’d love to see you there.
That’s not all!
Friday Friends is part of our International Student CONNECT program, which gives you lots of other free opportunities, including tours to local attractions, health checks, come-and-try sport sessions and wellbeing workshops.
If this is your first trimester as an international student at Deakin, we encourage you to try as many activities as possible – you’ll make new friends, practise your English skills, explore your campus, discover Deakin’s support services and learn about Australian culture.
Best of luck for Trimester 2!