Edition One - February - Australian University Sport

PAGE
016
International
Life so far in Australia
Prajwal Udupa
When people ask me “How is it, living in Australia” I fail to satisfy
them with my one worded answer “great”. It is not possible to
finish answering this question in one conversation I have with
those people because life here is not stagnant. If you ask me the
question on the day the bus was over thirty minutes late which
made me miss my class/work, I would probably say it is the most
inefficient place on earth (You have to keep in mind I live on the
Gold Coast which barely qualifies as a city). However, my opinion
completely changes when I am greeted by people I don’t even
know. You then tend to look past the small things and feel the
community feeling that still exists in this country.
I am not trying to compare life in this country to a roller coaster.
No, not unless the roller coaster with ups and downs and loops
also goes through different portals which rips your soul from the
body and spits it back in and also parts where you can feel 5G
and the adrenaline rush that it provides (now that is an amazing
roller coaster).
In the past three years I have been harassed, racially profiled,
discriminated and picked on, I have felt freedom, experienced
friendships, hardships , rewarded for my efforts; I have been
broke, delusional, angry at the system, missed a lot of things,
acquired knowledge, achieved milestones, felt joyous. Oh and
also punched in the face.
“I have lived”.
Do not get me wrong. I am not trying to pick on the flaws, for no
nation is void of them. I am more than grateful to be accepted by
the Australian community.
As I write this editorial and look out the window (from the train to
Brisbane) I see people hard at work and doing their part to keep
the wheels of the nation spinning. It reminds me of the kingdom
Ayodhya; where no jobs were less significant than the other and
everyone felt pride in what they were doing.
As you may all have experienced in the past, I too felt it hard to
land my first gig. It was flipping burgers for a fast food place.
Although the job was insanely tedious and paid ‘f*** all’ (I
apologise if I have used the slang incorrectly), it gave me an
insight to the Australian work culture and let me tell you it was
not what I had expected. I have to be honest; the only other work
culture I ever experienced was when I was helping out at the
family restaurant which I would say was not that fun, especially
for the staff. However down here, staff were more care free and
lacked vision. I often found my colleagues smoking at the back or
having a quickie in the staff toilets. But one thing for certain, they
made the job more fun and time more passable. Nobody worried
much about anything including their future. For all I know they are
still back there drawing penises on burger patties with ketchup.
But I moved on; from hell to purgatory. Next job was at a
convenience store in Surfers. Needless to say I worked every
Saturday graveyard shift serving drunks. The only thing worth
mentioning I developed during the job was my hatred to Surfers.
But any way, the job paid the rent, put food on the table and got
me through university. (For people that know me personally, you
would be aware that I took up another job after this, some may
say with the Devil itself. I am not at liberty to discuss this at the
moment.)
And speaking of Uni, education was the primary reason I embarked
on this voyage. I recently completed my Bachelors of Business
and it was the most remarkable adventure. I have to admit some
of the course curriculum was pointless and disorganised. But it is
not what you learn that counts rather how you put that knowledge
into use. The Professors encouraged us to think for ourselves
and gave us enough freedom to be creative in our reasoning and
problem solving. I would be lying if I said it was not difficult. For
someone to come from an education system where every bit of
information is spoon fed and curtails our imagination, it was a
shock to me when I had to do professional reports and study extra
materials on my own time to achieve good grades.
But the fact that universities here are not like prison facilities
that pass of as Uni’s in India was a relief. The cultural aspect
of uni life, the clubs, the unibar parties, the fact that you could
actually walk off your class without tripping alarms and running
from security guards was like, being reborn. The freedom was
remarkable but came with a price. No one here asks you to study
and get good grades. They believe that we are the ones paying an
arm and a leg and it is our choice to earn value for that money or
let it be. I am going to definitely miss my uni days and I cherish
every bit even the days where I stayed overnight at the library
completing my assignments.
Another important thing that I have to mention in this editorial is
the life at the Chalet. It has played an important and influencing
role in my Australian life. From parties to lone drinking nights,
from feasts to baked beans, Chalet has seen it all. To the outside
world we must be the most dysfunctional lot out there. The
conversations are not dining room material, you would hear more
swearing here than at a pirates sea side brothel in happy hour,
the shenanigans that take place here include riding a mate’s bike
into the pool, or throwing an X-box into the pool or even letting
Harry use the oven.
But I have to say, there is method in this madness. Like to
admit it or not all the above has made Chalet what it is and the
housemates more like family. Of course every family has that
odd uncle that gives you the death stare or a mooching sister.
Needless to say, we are far from perfect but that is a topic for
another day and could be better narrated by someone who lived
there longer than me.
The Chalet has had the same amount of influence to my Australian
experience that the First War of Indian Independence had on my
nation’s freedom. It has probably made me who I am now (of
course other factors played pivotal roles too). It has shaped my
views about Australian culture and many other issues.
I cannot finish this article without mentioning my parents. It is
only with their support that I was able to add this new chapter in
my life. For a 17 year old, who had never left his home before and
was notoriously being labelled a ‘momma’s boy’, I think I have
done well. Yes I do miss my family, friends and hometown but
the current social network and technologies has made it easy to
overcome.
After recalling all these
memories while writing
this, I think I have come to
a conclusion and an
answer to the question
“How is life in Australia”
It is not something that can
be summarised in one
sentence.
“Life in Australia is a
journey. You simply strap
yourself in and enjoy
everything as they come.”
Fundamentum Superioris Viventium.