It’s exciting to move to a place where you don’t know anyone. There’s a sense of freedom that comes with it, much like when you go to college or university for the first time. However, that excitement fades quickly as you see everyone else start to make friends. When I studied in Amsterdam I had a rough transition–I chose to come a week later than the recommended arrival which meant that by the time I got there most people had already established friend groups. This, combined with the fact that I had a studio single, made it difficult for me to make friends quickly.
I knew coming to Sydney that I wanted to live with roommates. Not only was it significantly cheaper, but having roommates, if you like them, is essentially guaranteeing friends for yourself. That’s why I chose to live at Urbanest. I knew I’d have 5 other roommates who were also students, and the location is great (I’m right next to central station, so getting anywhere is super easy). It’s worked out wonderfully. My roommates are all really friendly and we get along well so far. The complex itself has a lot of amenities, including a small gym, and theater, and a courtyard with a grill. Our neighborhood is at the very beginning of Chinatown, so there’s countless food options around, and it’s all as cheap as you’re going to find in Sydney.
Universities are generally very good about creating opportunities for the exchange students to meet each other, and University of Sydney hasn’t been any different. During orientation week there were multiple events just for exchange students, there’s an international student lounge, and lots of campus societies reached out to exchange students directly. This made it ridiculously easy to make friends with other international students. We’re all in the same boat, so everyone clicks pretty well.
The only issue with that is it makes it much harder to meet full-time USyd students. Once you have your friend group it’s harder to push yourself out there, or at least it is for me. Classes help a little, but they’re reserved more for taking notes and listening than for making friends. It’s still the beginning of the semester though, and as time goes on more opportunities always present themselves.
Some other international students and I did the Coogee to Bondi coastal walk last week. It’s gorgeous, and not super difficult. This is a hike to Karloo pools that I did this weekend. The train took my practically door-to-hike because I live so close to Central Station.
