Story of exchange students: “Do you even go here?” It’s like I’ve gone back to high school, and somehow I’ve woken up in the movie Mean Girls. I walk into the canteen an awkward new kid, with no idea where to go, what to eat or where to sit, and I’m looking for someone I know to save me. I can feel everyone’s eyes following me across the room. And then I trip over a chair and fall flat on my face. No one helps me up, everyone just watches the Australian girl with the milky white skin pick herself up, dust herself off, and then trip over again. Awkward. That’s me, and it’s my first day at RMIT South Saigon Campus. It didn’t help that I missed half of orientation, and my first day of classes because I was sick. Turns out being in South East Asia for three weeks does things to your stomach, skin and ability to sleep. Getting used to a new country, a new language barrier and a new campus hasn’t been as easy as I thought. I’ve been late to every class, the main coffee shop doesn’t have soymilk, and suddenly someone is trying to tell me that I have to go to class on Saturdays. Considering I go to uni 10 hours a week, maybe three days a week in Melbourne, Vietnam’s one class a day, six days a week is beyond a shock. As a Melbourne student, South Saigon’s campus is incredibly different to Melbourne city campus. We have different priorities; Where to find the best coffee, how to avoid the student union and the people campaigning, and what time to line up for the free barbeque and beer days. We only have a few cafes on campus, all expensive, and the best food is found while walking down alleyways in search of a latte. Here, this campus is isolated into a community of students and places where I can buy rice and juice and still have not many people to eat lunch with. As I don’t ride a motorbike, I can’t go anywhere off campus for lunch, and I’m starting to get a little sick of phở. See that big bunch of Australian students hiding in the corner of the canteen? Come say hello to us, we have no one else to eat lunch with but ourselves, and trust me, we’re getting sick of each other. We’ve found that RMIT, while being an English speaking campus, speaks a lot less English than it’s supposed to. Group meetings and in class assignments are nothing but five or more Vietnamese students talking among themselves, then asking me to talk to the class or proof read their work. One of my teachers already told everyone to “stop picking on the white girl, you all speak English here!” No more presentations to the class, please! Help me out here, all I can say in Vietnamese is Hello, No, thank you and how to find my house. Oh, and Ôi Chúa ơi! The stationary shop wants to sell me Hello Kitty products, including earrings and hair clips, or handbags, but they don’t sell sketchbooks, large sheets of cardboard, or do the type of binding I need for my Advertising portfolio. They also don’t understand that I just want a plain white piece of paper, a4 size just printer paper. Which meant that I had to run into the student access lab, sneakily steal a big pile of printer paper, and RUN AWAY. I don’t know what to wear to uni here, especially because half the girls wear heels, but can’t walk in them, and the other half dress like boys or little kids. I feel like my shorts are too short, or my shirts are showing too much skin, because everyone is looking at me and my dorky, comfy sandals. They aren’t heels, and they aren’t Vans, they are dorky tourist sandals. Either that, or I’m wearing my exercise clothes, and I’m sweating like crazy. No points for fitting in here. I also thought everyone was joking when they said they go and have a nap before class. I’ve started taking a xe om to university, instead of taxis. Firstly, because no one, and I mean NO ONE knows where RMIT is. I live in District 1, and the taxi drivers have gotten lost at least 4 times in the first week. But while a xe om is cheaper and faster, I’ve started to get really sunburnt while riding on the back of motorbikes. The really pale girl now has tomato red shoulders. Now instead of being late to class because the taxi was late, I’m late because my xe om is arguing with me over 50 Australian cents, or doesn’t have change for the big big 500 000VND my bank keep giving me. Tourist alert, I don’t know the difference between a 10 000 VND note and a 100 000VND note, and the people at Noodle are starting to get annoyed with me. Overall, I’m loving RMIT Vietnam. It’s warm, but most days it’s far too hot to move, the gym is free, and I’m becoming a cà phê sữa đá addict. People keep looking at me strangely, like I’m doing drug deals, because I’ve started getting my coffee from the little lady in the bushes. Still no one wants to speak in English with me, and everyone is still staring me as I walk between buildings, but maybe I’m just getting used to being the novelty student in the way too short shorts on campus. Maybe it’s because I keep walking on the grass, or because I keep tripping over my own feet. Ellen Burgin (Exchange student @RMIT melbourne campus)
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 03:24:51 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015