Settling in – School & University!

Been kinda busy, so apologies for the delay in posting…

To continue from last time, we landed in Adelaide on the morning of 1^st August. My bro came to meet us at the airport and we booked ourselves a Big Taxi to head home with all the baggage and were greeted by an excited little niece and my sis-in-law.

My brother already rented out a nice place in West Croydon, a suburb quite close to the west of the city. We all wanted a house and not an apartment, especially for the kids so this was ideal.

The house is beautiful, a nice 3 bedroom with a front and back yard and garage; perfect for the family. The back yard is covered so great for the kids to spend time without the harsh sun hitting them. The school is a 5 mins walk from the house so its super convenient, and we have a Coles and Drakes quite close by so groceries are accessible.

The next day I had to visit my university and it was something I looked forward to but feared too. Going back to studies was a big enough step but this was in a new country that I knew nothing of. The only comfort was that I knew it’s a mixed culture so I wouldn’t really stand out.

My bro and mom came with me to the city, and I headed in the direction of the university whilst they explored the city. It was over-whelming to see the multiple university buildings but everything was well signed and I found the place quite easily.

We were to assemble in a meeting room of sorts where all the students were seated at tables and I went right up ahead and took a seat. Of course,there were no known faces so I just quietly sat down where there was place available. Suddenly I hear someone mention Mumbai behind me.. .yipppeee.. I instantly felt at ease. I turned around and introduced myself mentioning I am from Mumbai too.. the girl behind me looked just as happy as I did, a familiar feeling I guess.When I looked around I realized that there were quite a few Indians, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, etc. and equal number of Chinese, Japanese, Korean’s, etc. There were hardly a handful of local Australian’s and I realized how uncomfortable those few must be feeling too. Strange to be out-numbered in their own country, at least in the class.

The session started and they welcomed us to the university. They introduced the various campuses, and gave a little spiel about the university. The classes were to start after a few days so this was more of an introduction session. They even had a casual fresher’s welcome at a bowling alley which unfortunately I missed as we arrived a day late.

The day was to end with all of us heading to a local pub with food and drinks. Whilst walking out I saw a familiar face. Reinhardt, a boy I met in Mumbai who took the same route as me through IDP, and immediately we became friends. Though I did speak to quite a few people that day but to be honest I kinda stayed amongst the Indian crowd and ended the evening early. I really don’t drink and wasn’t too sure about getting home late as wasn’t as confident about travelling alone.

I did okay though and reached home safely. Believe me, I realize the importance of Google Maps here!

That was my first day, and I kinda felt a little settled in. Confident that I can do this and everything will work out well!

The next day I had to sort my daughter’s admissions. My brother had already visited the local school and found out details, so it was just to take her down there and get formalities completed.

The school staff were extremely friendly and took us on a tour of the school. It all looked great. A huge playground, their own shrub,and all the kids around looked quite happy. The teachers went out of their way to make us feel comfortable and Fiona, who took us around was exceptionally sweet.They were somewhat surprised at the English we spoke, and we were even asked how we spoke such good English… hahaha… we just had to explain that its our first language too!!

The school has a special transition class for new international kids, primarily focusing on English and though Khushi spoke clear English it would help her to transition to the new culture and Australian ways. There were kids of all cultures there, many who hardly spoke English, but they were well taken care of and treated with utmost respect. It looked like a great place for her to be and give her time to adjust.

The most different aspect of the school is the importance given to discipline. Here they believe it’s important to give priority to individuality and not restrict the kids with excessive rules. So, there are no specific rules like we had back home regarding tying up the hair in plaits, and even the uniform policy is lenient. They have a prescribed uniform with logo,but considering it is relatively expensive one has the option of getting just plain Navy blue tracks or shorts or skirts, a collared blue tee and a bluejacket from any local store. I was even advised where I could get them cheap.There are no prescribed books to be bought and all stationary is provided in the school, of course as part of the fees, so really the kid just carries their bottle and lunchbox from home. Very considerately they even offered payment plans in case the materials and service fees were too high. I was quite impressed.

We took a day more, and Khushi started school at Kilkenny Primary School. She was excited and with her talkative nature fit right in. When she returned smiling the first day, it took a load of my shoulders.

For my classes, I had to enroll online and by the time I did that all the morning classes were taken, so opted for all evening classes. 4 subjects, 3 hours class once a week. And this is the full-time course!!

My first day had just once class, and it was quite nice. First got my ID card made and headed to class. The lecture hall set up was nice and quickly got comfortable with the new group of friends I made, Nikhil, Mansi and a few more. A formal first day with the professor introducing the topics and I realized that the studies ain’t too difficult. Most of this I already know either from past education or practical application at work.

As I slowly settled in and made more friends, it felt like I am BACK TO SCHOOL!!

More to share next week…hope to see comments from you all 😊

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