For today’s feature, we have an international student from the Philippines who’s currently studying in Brisbane. Her story serves as an inspiration for those considering studying abroad. Aside from juggling work and study, she also documents her journey on YouTube. Lucky for us, she’s sharing that journey here on My Aussie Story.
Introducing your International StudenTita, Val —
Meet Val
I’m Valiree Janne Vidal, 31, from Cebu, Philippines. I’m currently in Brisbane under a student visa. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Business with Marketing as my major back home. When I first arrived in Brisbane, I enrolled in the Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning). I shifted six months later. I’m now pursuing a Certificate III in Individual Support and hope to eventually earn a Nursing or Community Services Diploma.
Why I Chose Australia
I have been a virtual assistant for ten years. Australians make up all of my clients. Therefore, it’s a key reason why I selected Australia. I’ve visited Sydney and Melbourne on trips paid for by clients, and I thought highly of the country. Why I chose Brisbane? I guess the weather, the fact that it’s less congested than the other two major cities, plus the fact that I find Brisbane to be a little more cool and relaxed led me to choose Brisbane.
Navigating Life as an International Student in AU
It’s challenging but it’s always the good and exciting kind of challenge. You are learning in school at the same time constantly learning all the pathways to stay here permanently.
Did I have any difficulties fitting in? No, not really. Maybe because I have been talking and working with different Aussie clients for a long time. It gave me an idea of what they’re like personality-wise. How they communicate, work and see life in general.
Maybe during the first 2 months, the struggle for me is you don’t have someone to talk to. For me, video calling my family and friends back in Cebu is just not the same as having someone who’s physically there to listen and comfort you.
This is also one of the reasons why I vlog — The International StudenTita on Youtube. To keep me busy as if I’m just at home. Not so much time but it’s a good outlet for me instead of dwelling in and nurturing my feelings of loneliness or homesickness, right? So I’m helping people by sharing my experiences at the same time helping myself to not feel so alone. Positive lang. 🙂
Pero now, I have friends here. A few but trusted. Some of them are international students too, some are already PR and citizens.
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Juggling Work and Study
It’s tiring and challenging, but fun. My VA job in the PH is a 12-15hr sitting job. Here in Brisbane, my jobs are all physical jobs! I remember putting 5-10 patches of Salonpas the first month! You want to cry but you’re too tried to cry. There were times when I broke down but then I remembered I’m getting paid hourly so I would rather work. You know what I mean? Nakaka-“bipolar”. (makes you feel “bipolar”) Hahaha! It’s tiring but when you see your payslip, it keeps you motivated😅
You should definitely learn to manage your time well by working, studying, completing assessments and projects, and allowing yourself time to unwind and recover before getting back into your regular schedule.
First 3 months ko, what I did was I accepted all the jobs being offered for as much as time and my body can take. Then, I analysed which work I’ll be happy to do. A workplace you’re excited to come to. There are so many things to consider — environment (the people), location (travel times), the workload and salary. My rest days are the days where I’m going to school. There are times when after school, I go straight to work to make sure that I make the most of my time. Not a minute wasted.
On the Possibility of Settling Down in Australia
That’s always the goal. But with the rules always changing, it’s a bit difficult. You need to really study and choose a “sureball” path. You can’t just come up with a decision that’s leaving it all to chance. But hopefully, God’s will, the outcome of my journey here results in something good.
My Advice for International Students
I’ve said this in one of my vlogs but I’ll say it again here.
Do not come here if you are not ready physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and financially.
It’s good to take risks, but for me, it should always be a well calculated risk. There’s a chance it may fail, but there’s also a chance that it won’t! I am not being negative, my viewers know how positive I am. I’m just practical and realistic. I have been planning to come here in 2015 but I didn’t go till 2022. Because I practice what I preach. I’m not a pro, I’ve failed countless times. But I have learned and I became wiser.
Wherever you are in the world, Australia, Canada, or the US — it is always going to be hard! Even rich people experience hardships. It’s just that we all go through different levels of difficulties. So, all you need to do is choose your kind of “hard”. Do you want a hard that leads to nowhere or hard that you know might give you a chance to a better life?
Closing Thoughts
Thank you, Miss Jonina of My Aussie Story for letting me share my journey here. Hopefully, this will inspire and motivate others especially those who are planning to be an International Student here in Australia.
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Authors: Val of The International StudenTita x My Aussie Story
About the ” Your Aussie Story” series:
Immigrants in Australia, though from different cultures and backgrounds, tend to have similar experiences and common ‘struggles’ as they build their new life here in Australia. Through My Aussie Story, I’ve been trying to help out people like myself to be able to navigate the Australian way of life a little bit easier by sharing my own experiences.
I’ve always believed that every migrant’s journey would be less challenging if we learn from each other. This is why we’ve created Your Aussie Story. Your Aussie Story is a ‘series’ in our website where we feature inspiring stories of immigrants in Australia.
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Disclaimer All content and information in this post is for purposes of sharing my experiences only, does not constitute professional advice and does not establish any kind of professional-client relationship.
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