This blog was written by Semester 1 Storyteller, Monty.
From leaving home to finding another one.
One random afternoon, I checked my mailbox and saw something that would change everything — an offer to study at La Trobe University for my masters.
Do I leave all my friends and family behind?
Do I move to a country I’ve never even visited?
Do I stop working and start studying again?
I decided to take the leap.
Time to leave the nest.
The 12-hour flight gave me too much time to think. Every possible doubt crossed my mind. By the time I landed on campus, the excitement had quietly turned into nervousness.
Everything felt unfamiliar.
I didn’t know where to go.
I didn’t know who to talk to.
The day moved slowly, and I wasn’t even sure what the next step was.
Eventually, I stepped out for orientation.
That’s when I saw someone — confident, talking to everyone, looking like he belonged.
I walked up to him and asked,
“Hey, do you know where the Agora is?”
He smiled and said, “Yeah, I’ll take you there.”
That small moment changed everything.
At the Agora, I met new students, joined clubs, and for the first time, I felt like I might actually figure this out.
University life picked up quickly.
I learned how to navigate the LMS, manage assignments, and settle into classes. I made friends, started going out more, and spent time in apartments that slowly began to feel like home.
Those friends turned into family.
Somewhere along the way, I stopped second-guessing myself.
I started becoming who I was meant to be here.
At the end of the year, I went back home for the first time.
I saw my mum — a few more grey hairs, moving just a little slower than before.
I met my closest friends, but this time, there were jokes I didn’t fully understand. They had to explain things to me.
The home I grew up in felt familiar, but different.
Almost like a place I was visiting.
And I realised something had changed — not around me, but within me.
When it was time to return, I left with a heavy heart.
But this time, I was also happy to be going back.
Back to routine.
Back to campus.
Back to something that now felt like mine.
I had even secured a role at the university — something I was incredibly proud of.
Walking into orientation again, I found myself thinking:
What have I left behind?
Is it worth it?
Do I belong here?
Is this really home?
And then I felt a tap on my shoulder.
A nervous-looking student asked,
“Hey, do you know where the Agora is?”
I smiled.
“Yeah,” I said, “walk with me.”
And as we walked towards the same place where it all started for me, I realised:
Maybe this is what the life cycle of an international student looks like.
You arrive unsure.
You find your feet.
You build something of your own.
And one day, without even realising it,
you become the person someone else looks to for direction.
