The Land of Oz
- kiiimpanzeee
- Oct 10, 2017
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 31, 2019
Born and raised in Metro Manila (with no province to visit on holidays), this is my first time living on my own, apart from my family, in another country. It's actually my first time ever visiting a country outside Asia. Four months in, I think it's safe to say that moving to Australia has been fairly pleasant. Sydney has a very diverse mix of cultures and in a way is used to hosting all sorts of people, which makes things a lot easier. A big help for this move was being sufficiently prepared, as well as having people to guide me along the way. I'm writing this entry to try and help anyone with a similar situation as mine - anyone planning to live as an overseas Filipino student, particularly in Sydney, even more particularly in Macquarie Uni, and most particularly, in winter.
Here are some tips I hope you will find useful in your own journey :)
Pre-Departure
1. Be sure the weight of your bags are within your baggage allowance as charges apply for excess. Bulk of my stuff were clothes and shoes - you can buy everything else when you get here. A good tip: they don't weigh your "laptop bag" (separate from your handcarry), so I put all heavy gadget related stuff in there and pretended it was light :)
2. Do not bring in raw food, anything made of/with wood, plant or animal products and declare everything in the arrival card. I didn't bring any food with me at all.
3. Prepare for the climate. Australia has 4 seasons and the calendar is the opposite of western countries - winter is in June-Aug and summer is in Dec-Feb. It doesn't snow in Sydney but it was still hella cold in winter!!
4. Make sure your phone isn't locked in with your network provider. You won't get to use your Australia sim if your phone is locked in with Globe/Smart. My network provider here is Yes Optus.
5. Bring around $500 pocket money. Average cost for a meal (at foodcourts) would be $10 and buses/trains around $4.
6. Bring adapters for sockets or else you won't get to charge your devices! The plug for Australia is the "v" with/out the vertical line in the middle.
7. Arrange for temporary accommodations so that you'll have a place to stay while looking for permanent accommodations. Some unis offer guest rooms in-campus - I stayed at Dunmore Lang College for $95/night with 3 meals. Another option would be Airbnb.
Accommodations
1. Never give money to a landlord before actually seeing the place. Check gumtree.com.au, flatmates.com.au, or realestate.com.au online before leaving Manila and schedule inspections for when you arrive here. Inspections are a must!
2. Best to live near your school to save up on transportation costs. As a Macquarie student, I live in Marsfield and it's a good 20-min walk to the campus.
3. During inspections, don't be shy and ask questions! Now is your time, ask about contract duration, heating, bills, internet, etc.
5. Average cost of a shared apartment with a private room would be $190-250/week in this area (Marsfield/Epping). Landlords ask for bond money as well as a deposit when you start your contract, mine was 4 months each so 8 months total.
5. Best place to buy stuff for your new place would be Big W, Target, and Daiso. All of these stores at the Macquarie Shopping Centre, right beside Uni.
Transportation
1. The public transport system in NSW is very efficient - I always take the train and bus. Get an OPAL card asap because it's cheaper vs. paying cash. Download the OPAL app to track your usage. Check the OPAL brochure for tips on fare promos. Good tip: on Sundays there is a flat rate of $2.60 for the entire day :)
2. Download TripViewLite and Google Maps. Schedules there are updated to the minute and you will see how those 2 apps will slowly take over and dictate your life :) haha. I'm always running to catch the train or bus so I won't be late!
3. For the buses - always hail the driver and push the button for the next stop. They won't just stop anywhere, you really have to signal them.
4. When crossing the street, look right! It's so confusing that they drive on the other side of the road, so best to look both ways before crossing! On the escalators, keep left.
Climate
It was my first time experiencing winter and all I can say is: I hate it :( when I left manila it was sometimes 35 degrees and when I arrived, the temperature ranged from 5 to 16 degrees. Good thing lots of stores were on sale in June because it's the end of their financial year. Since I didn't have any winter clothes from Manila, I went crazy with all the jackets, coats, scarves etc. on sale. Layers are the way, especially because the temperature changes often.
Religion (Catholic)
It's sad that masses here are only on Saturdays and Sundays for suburbs - no daily masses. At Uni though there are daily masses at 12:10pm care of the Catholic Society - venues are released weekly since we don't have a chapel inside school. St. Mary's Cathedral is beautiful and the choir is lovely. Every first Sunday of the month there is a Filipino mass at St. Peter Julian 1:30pm on George St. with a salu-salo afterwards :)
Uni
Unlike in Manila where most information is provided for us, Uni in Australia expects students to be more responsible. Everything is available online and it is up to us to navigate our way through all the info - most of the time there are no prompts, alerts, etc. so be sure to keep checking your school website (iLearn and eStudent for Mac Uni) for announcements, schedules, useful materials, etc. it's definitely something to get used to.
Exercise
Australia is very conducive to being healthy! It’s so walkable everywhere, most places have bikeracks, and every suburb has a park! I enrolled at the Macquarie Sport & Aquatic Center when I arrived because they had a promo, but usually it costs around $30-40 per fortnight for gym. Now that the weather is very pleasant, I try to jog in the morning when I don't have class.
"Filo" tips
Most schools have Filipino aka "Filo" groups, like Macquarie Uni and it's really nice being active in them because siyempre, nakakapagod din mag English! There are some scheduled "barbies" (barbecues) by the student group and in some gatherings they serve Filipino food - yay! In Chatswood and Blacktown there are Filo stores and restaurants in case you need to satisfy your cravings!
When I arrived in June, I really felt the "first world-ness" of the place especially compared to my country. Everyone here is very nice but I definitely missed the warmth of Filipinos (and literally, the warmth of the Philippines!) as well as the mess and the noise (ironically). If ever you start to get homesick after sometime, here are a few tips:
1. Keep walking. It's the best way to explore and find new interesting things!
2. Make friends! I took advantage of people saying I should meet their family/friends in Sydney. It's a must to keep meeting and talking to people to learn helpful tips. Pakapalan na ng mukha haha :P
3. Join whatever, seize the day! I love Sydney because there are always so many things happening - chocolate festival, beach soccer, sustainability talks, etc. Now is the time to keep exploring. Sulitin ang Sydney experience!
4. Constant reminders. You should always remind yourself of your WHY. Sometimes when I'm too stressed out from school I think to myself "why am I doing this again??" For my country, for experience, for growth. For you, what is your "WHY?"
5. Pray and center yourself. What's good about this country is that they really value leisure and time for resting. Take advantage of this by spending time with yourself!
I hope I was able to be of help! Just let me know for other questions/concerns you may have if any. I'll be posting other entries for beaches, bushwalking sites, etc. once I've found the time to explore the best ones :)
P.S. You'll notice there are lots of Asians here in Sydney - Chinese, Indian, and of course "Filos" so sometimes you may even forget you are in Australia :P
This post's INSPIRATION is on: going beyond your comfort zone, being independent, and growth!
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