17 Nov 2022 | 4 mins
Overview
  • Change is never easy and learning to live by yourself in another city is a great example of it. But the risk makes you stronger and smarter :)

I fell in love with Melbourne during a family vacation in 2019 and I thought that studying uni there would be the perfect backdoor in. So I signed the lease on a student dorm, packed my bags and bought a one-way ticket to my favourite city. It was at the airport when reality hit me: I’m 17, I’ve never cooked a meal by myself and I can’t follow Google Maps to save my life. How am I going to survive alone?

Once I was settled into my apartment, it was the beginning of chaos. Some people say, “It’s easy, you just go shopping, cook and stay on top of your work” but it’s not. Yes people still spoke English in Melbourne but every corner felt like another language I couldn’t translate. I knew nobody there. I didn’t know which tram would take me home. What if I got lost?

My first role as an ‘independent woman that needs no man’ was to find Coles. Then I needed to work out my finances however thanks to high school, I only knew how to calculate the area of a trapezium. I applied for ‘youth allowance’ from Centrelink earlier to support me as an interstate student so I received a set amount of money fortnightly but how I spent it on groceries impacted whether or not I could pay rent that month. Hence, writing shopping lists and budgeting became crucial.

For extra cash, I turned to handing out countless resumes down La Trobe Street where they had everything from local cafes to high-end boutiques. I finally found work waitressing at an Indian restaurant. Kinda like Penny from The Big Bang Theory!

Most people dream of the newfound freedom that comes with moving out but never the responsibilities… There was no Mum to prepare my dinner; if I didn’t cook, I couldn’t eat. Simple as that. I had to become a Masterchef™, so I started making YouTube playlists of cooking videos for every type of basic Bengali recipe, and then I’d cross-check with Mum over FaceTime. Eating took about two seconds and then came the dishes, ugh. But it was all worth it.

Nobody ever talks about how so many students opt for a cup of 2-minute noodles rather than reserving an hour to cook just one meal out of their day. I met a group of guys who constantly ate out for TGI Fridays with one of them spending $600 every week! Not only is it super unhealthy but it’s also a waste of money that would’ve been better spent on whole foods, fruits and meats prepared at home. I bet you couldn’t find a single spoon in their apartments.

Despite the traffic and crowds, I felt lonely. I envied the girl squad sharing Korean BBQ across the table while I ate alone. It felt like the city erupted every Friday night but I didn't have anyone to enjoy the bright lights with. I’m very extroverted but even I was flustered by the idea of approaching someone I didn’t know for company. Uni was mostly online and my coworkers were mainly millennials.

It got better with time, I joined as many Uni clubs as possible where I met some of my now long-distance best friends! Unfortunately COVID disappearing was a dream too good to be true and Melbourne went into a 4-month lockdown. Yikes, I know. I flew home to Adelaide, just barely escaping going insane in my room. Plus I dropped out of uni later (but that’s a story for another time).

I don’t regret my decision at all. Moving can be tough but it was worthwhile in the end. I learnt to take care of myself and what I’m capable of - anything!

If I moved to Melbourne again, I’d stay in a sharehouse this time. Hopefully by then the city will be restored to its original pre-COVID glory!

Written by Tas