Rabelais.org.au | La Trobe University's Independent Student Newspaper, est 1967

Sunday 5 September 2010

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I was 23 years old when I began to know what independent life is. It was on 28 January 2010. I waited at the Tan Son Nhat airport. Behind me, my parents were standing outside the restriction region and waving their hands. When Vietnam Airlines planed off, I realized I was beginning a new life in a new land – the life of overseas students.

My name is Anh Ha. I was born in a middle-class family. My father runs a cable television company and has always wanted me to study media. When I was a third-year student, I took an internship in a media company and it later made me interested in working in this profession. After finishing a Bachelor of Business English at Hanoi Foreign Trade University, I decided to apply for La Trobe University in Australia to study a Master of Global Communication. This decision is the remarkable turning point in my life. However, it also contributed to the burden on my parents. They had to sell one plot of land to pay $30,000 for my tuition and living fees in Australia. They don’t want me to live with hardship in the foreign land. I know that they had to sacrifice a lot for me and I have promised myself that I will perform my course well.

I arrived in Australia in a summer morning in February. At that time in Vietnam, my family was preparing furniture and peach trees for the Lunar New Year. Homesickness was my very first feeling when I arrived at the Australian airport. Then I was picked up and taken to the dormitory of La Trobe University. I live with three other Vietnamese students, namely Thi, Tuan, and Thuy. They are very friendly and kind people who have helped me a lot during my study in this new land. Living with them, I also have the chance to experience the happiness and worries of overseas students.

The life of overseas students, particularly Vietnamese students in Australia, is not always as beautiful as many people in my country have expected. Vietnamese students not only have to face many difficulties in linguistic competence and communication but also in trying to manage their financial situation during their study in Australia. Among Vietnamese overseas students, besides those who come from wealthy families, there are also many normal families who also try to support their children studying abroad, even if they have to sell their assets. For a long time, the Australian government has regarded overseas study as a highly-profitable service and international students are a huge source of income. Overseas students often have to pay fees almost three times greater than those of host students. They not only contribute to financial profits for Australia and its colleges and universities, but also to complement knowledge and skills for the scarce labour source in this country. Most of these international students work in many fields such as accounting, chemistry, information technology, or nursing after their graduation.

In my house, apart from Thuy, who comes from a wealthy family, the students come from middle-class ones. Thuy has been in Australia for five years. She took Foundation Studies at Swinburne University and a Bachelor of Medical Science with Honours at La Trobe University. Thuy recalls: "My parents had to sell three plots of land to pay $75,000 for my five years studying in Australia. Although I managed to snatch a partial scholarship in my final year, it must have been a huge amount of money and it makes me shiver when thinking about it." Thuy shares that she was actually pursuing the dream of becoming a doctor. However, her parents could not afford to pay for medicine, one of the most expensive and lengthy courses. That is why she decided to take Bachelor of Medical Science to be able to stay in the medical field. "It is great to be able to do what you like and that keeps me going," Thuy shares with me with her eyes sparkling . Now her effort has been compensated. She is currently working for the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research with the salary of $4000 per month, a level of salary that everyone desires.

Unlike Thuy, Tuan comes from a normal family. Tuan is doing a Master of International Business and Law, one of the most expensive master’s degrees at La Trobe University – $24,000. His parents had to use their savings and borrow money to support their son to study in Australia. Therefore, he decided that he would work to pay the living fees. "The first day in Australia, eating a noodle bowl costing nine dollars made me sick. It was so expensive that I felt regret for a long time. For me, every day passing meant that money in the account would be reduced. The thought of finding a job was always in my mind," Tuan recalls. Every time I see him, he is always busy or in a rush. Nguyen is doing two jobs. Every day, he has to wake up at 5.30am to go to Preston market to set out wares for his employer. Besides this, Tuan is also working at a restaurant in the city three days per week from 5pm to 11pm, being paid $10 per hour. "I know that it is quite hard but at least I can pay the rent by myself and this decreases the financial burden for my parents," Tuan admits with his permanent smile on his face. When giving his parents a call, he assured them that, "Working makes me healthier and it is just equal to doing exercise. Besides, working as a waiter helps me to improve my English."

Among Vietnamese overseas students in Australia, there are some students getting government or university scholarships. Thi is one typical example. Being a high school chemistry teacher, Thi was granted a government scholarship for studying a PhD at La Trobe Univeristy. A few months after getting married, Thi had to leave her family to study in Australia. She cannot hide her deep sadness because of many difficulties in studying in a foreign land. "Studying a PhD is very difficult and it takes a long time. Research in Australia is very different from our hometown. I have tried a lot to get familiar with it," Thi says. Not only is her study difficult, the homesickness and pressure of her scholarship are always on her mind. "I miss my family so much. Sometime I just want to quit and come back home with them. But I cannot. If I quit, my they will be disappointed. Additionally, I will have to refund all the value of the scholarship I get. It is worth a legacy," Thi admits. Despite troubles, she still keeps working hard. Thi chooses to work on a mushroom farm every weekend to get more income. "I want to make myself busy so I won’t have time to be sad. This work helps me save more money to pay the plane tickets when I want to go home to visit my family." Thi breathes a light sigh, enough to make me feel the stress she is facing. Tomorrow is the weekend. She has to go to bed early so that she can wake up at 5am and drive to work.

I guess that I and other international students are on the same boat. Thi, Thuy, and Tuan are only among many Vietnamese students as well as international students from other countries who are trying their best to manage to study well and work at the same time to cover everyday needs in Australia. I miss my parents who are working hard to earn money to support their daughter in a foreign land. I think of the day I graduate. Maybe I will find a part-time job to help my parents. I will save money to buy the plane ticket to come back home for the next Lunar New Year festival. I know that I am walking on a rocky road but it will be very rewarding. Thinking of the day I graduate and bring home my red scroll to show my parent, I have a feeling of utmost happiness. With that thought, I quickly sink into my sleep. Another assignment is waiting for me tomorrow…