R Ganesh Interview

Please tell us a little bit about your experiences here in Australia. The more interesting it is, the more other Singaporeans & Malaysians will enjoy reading it!

1. What brought you to move to Australia?
I didn’t really ‘move’ to Australia. I’m just here temporarily for 5 years to do my course of study. But Melbourne is one of the world’s most liveable city, so I guess that did play a factor in choosing this place to study.

2. What were the biggest hurdles you had to overcome when you first came here to Australia? (Food, learning the lingo, getting used to early shopping hours?)
One of the biggest hurdles when I first came to Australia (and anywhere new in fact) is to get used to the surroundings and moving around. Besides that, I had to learn how to budget my expenditure, which includes learning how to cook to save up on expenses (as eating out is expensive compared to Malaysia/Singapore). The early shopping hours are also something the Australian government obviously didn’t think about, right? I mean, they can make more money if they opened for longer!
Another thing that I noticed is the very safe and courteous roads. Here they don’t beep and horn everyone like back home.

3. How did you overcome those hurdles?
I think the first thing you need to have is initiative. Recognize these problems and seek a solution to it. For me, expenses were monitored through Excel, cooking was learnt from cookbooks, internet and friends, moving about from locals to maps. You can pretty much get general advice from people if you ask.

4. What tips would you give for other Malaysians / Singaporeans coming to Australia, to help them in the “settling down” process?
Just like settling down anywhere else, you need to have done a bit of homework. Find out how the everyday living is like from someone who is already in Australia. Build your contact list, and be open to change and assimilation. Keep in touch with old friends (the “free ways to keep in touch with friends” on the Rojak site are really helpful).

5. Can you tell at least 2 funny stories of your experience when you first came to Australia?

Can’t think of any, mate. I had a lot of friends who were here already before me so there were virtually no hiccups.

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