Making a difference through international development (Issue 15, 2012)
Lillian Lie has come from Norway to study a Bachelor of International Development at La Trobe. Lillian loves Melbourne and has made the most of her time here doing all sorts of fun activities and seeing the sights.
Lillian has always wanted to study in Australia and when her friend convinced her to apply, Melbourne and La Trobe University were easy choices. Lillian chose La Trobe because of its international reputation for academic success and relevant course options.
The adjusting period was easy for Lillian; she has found Australians to be open, friendly and extremely welcoming.
‘It was easy to meet new friends and they introduced me to new people and invited me for coffee. So during the adjusting period, to have such great friends around made the choice to move to the other side of the world totally worth it! Another factor that made the adjusting period easier was living on campus. It made it really easy to socialise with people, a lot of my new friends are from all over the world and I hope I will get a chance to visit them in the future.’
Lillian was lucky enough to attend an Aussie Rules football match, which she found extremely exciting and experienced some unique Victorian tourist destinations through a surf camp. She has also been lucky enough to attend some great Melbourne events.
‘I love Melbourne. The city is very beautiful and full of life. I cannot wait until summer, as this is when all the festivals happen and the city becomes even more exciting.
‘One of the things I will take with me from this semester is the surfing with the Surf Club at La Trobe, when they took us down to the Great Ocean Road and to the Twelve Apostles. Also memorable was the St. Kilda music festival during the first week here at La Trobe, where my new friends and I visited the beach event and where I had one of my best music experiences of my life.’
Lillian also volunteers her time at community events, helping the Victorian Police at youth-events and serving food and drinks and socialising with elderly people at a local church. She is also dedicated to her studies and has high-hopes for the future.
‘I have always been interested in learning about different cultures and countries. And to learn the social, economic and political factors that have shaped developing countries today in a different country than my own is a really good opportunity.
‘I like the quality of the lectures, the tutors and the topics we learn. I find the lectures very interesting and engaging. I find the topics very relevant for what I want to be working toward in the future in international development.’
‘I participate in weekly practical language seminars for my beginner’s Chinese course. This will be useful as I want to live and work in China in the future. Having a new language also gives me a better understanding of different cultures, which in turn helps me with my theory work in international development.’
‘Since I do not plan to live or work in Norway in the future, I think my international qualifications in an international development subject will be looked at as a good factor in my future career, workplace and by colleagues. I hope that my CV will stand out from the crowd with an international dimension, and that I can provide my workplace with knowledge and values I have from both Norway and Australia. Since I am doing my whole degree in my second language my language skills will stand out.’
