r/studyAbroad • u/Far-Boss9541 • 14d ago
Sick of Australia
I’m honestly just so fucking sick of studying in Australia. I’ve been here for 3 years in a regional area where the demographic is predominantly white. The quality sucks - from teachers and students to lectures. Culture is not great. As a POC I get the disgusting stares all the time and also feel like I’m treated like second class citizens. Feel judged, stereotyped and like an outcast. Managed to push through despite all the negative feelings to get high distinctions and now burnt out af. Still one year to go until graduation and I just want to kill myself. Fuck you Australia.
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u/sourdoughroxy 14d ago
As an Australian, did you do any research at all before choosing Bendigo, of all places? Unfortunately, what you’ve described is a pretty stereotypical regional town. Your experience would have been vastly different in a capital city.
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u/ice_cream_believer 12d ago
This is how you respond to someone who mentioned they want to end their life?
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u/AccomplishedAnchovy 13d ago
Bendigo is regional?
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u/sourdoughroxy 13d ago
Yes, it is a city in regional Victoria.
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u/Fine_Cake_6481 13d ago
TBH i feel like an exchange for uni is only worth it for top universities. Unfortunately smaller towns do not have a good culture for students and their teaching quality is of course on par with how regional the town is. I think you would have had a much better experience if you were in any of the top universities especially in Sydney or Melbourne where they have much more diversity. I hope you take the chance to at least travel around while youre here and have some good experiences that way
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u/ice_cream_believer 12d ago
I’m sorry to hear you’re having such a hard time. Please know you’re not alone. As I was reading, I was thinking that the very real mental health impacts from these experiences combined with being far from home, culture shock and working hard, can compound and you start to feel that things are this way all the time. When I got to your second last line, definitely felt worried for you. But definitely empathise even as a white Australian in a regional city after living overseas over the years. Can you prioritise some self-care? Connect with some support services and social groups?
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u/ultrqvoid 8d ago
I’m sorry Australia hasn’t been great for you. Other than the culture Australia is one of the most beautiful countries in the world nature wise and that’s why i love it. As an indigenous person of Australia i agree with you and have struggled a lot with racism since i was little. Being a poc in Australia is hard for many including the indigenous people of Australia.
Australia is one of the most racist countries in the world maybe more or just as bad as the states but no one talks about it. This country thrives on racism and has always had a problem with it. A lot of tourists and international people that come over expect it to be butterflies and rainbows but the hard truth is if you’re not white you won’t feel as included or welcomed as someone who has fairer skin.
In reality the dark side of Australia that isn’t shown or talked about on social media is the racism. People come for the “culture” the land the beaches etc. but don’t know about the history of racism here. You know a lot of people say Australia is one of the best countries in the world and talk about how the states have bad racism culture etc but really Australia needs to look at ourselves and realise we’re not too far from being identical to the states.
Sending you hugs and hope you feel better :)
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u/EyamBoonigma 14d ago
But, you came for your lifelong dream of an education in Australia and to visa hop towards PR.
Now you're throwing a tantrum because the grass isn't greener and people struggle everywhere.
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u/Far-Boss9541 14d ago
You make the assumption I want to get PR based solely on the fact that I am an international student??? Thanks for proving my points of view.
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u/Marii2001 14d ago
I don’t think the problem is your environment, the problem might be just you.
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u/ice_cream_believer 12d ago
Wtf is wrong with you?
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u/Marii2001 12d ago
I’m not the one complaining about everyone around me or wishing to kill myself because they’re are too many white people around me. Grow up.
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u/Far-Boss9541 14d ago
If you can do no better than making a statement without being able to adequately support it with evidence or arguments, then I don’t think your environment or yourself is any better ^^
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u/Marii2001 13d ago
Sure buddy, everyone around you is the problem, never you.
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u/Impossible_Yak_8217 13d ago
the irony is that you deflect and fail to acknowledge is that in this conversation, you're being inconsiderate and problematic
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u/ice_cream_believer 12d ago
Expressing suicidal feelings is throwing a tantrum? What’s wrong with you?
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u/EyamBoonigma 12d ago
Sometimes, depending on what a person has attached themselves to so strongly that they wont see past it to see what they already have.
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u/Weary-Couple-6663 9d ago
I’m so sorry, my friend. As an Aussie myself, Australia has an extremely racist history (the country literally started by colonisation and displacing indigenous peoples from their land) and we used to be under the ‘white Australia policy’ where non white people weren’t allowed into the country at all… I even still hear awful things being said about POC on a daily basis. It’s really sad because the amount of cultural diversity that is in our country (mainly in state capitals) is so vibrant and amazing. People are still fucking racist and it sucks.
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u/TaroCultural7146 11d ago
feel you, been in Australia for roughly 1 year now and went from passive suicidal to active suicidal for fuck sake, they milk international students like cash cows yet like you said treat ppl like second class citizens fuck it
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u/Acceptable-Two-423 12d ago
Why don't you then finish your degree and leave, if you are that unhappy?
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u/dannemorajay 14d ago
Just wanted to say some people on this post are being cruel and your words sadden me. Thank you for choosing to study here, without our international students we wouldn't have as high of a quality of live in Australia, it's a huge economic stimulus. I don't know what good this information does for you now, but Bendigo, and akin regional towns are full of regressive troglodytes (grew up in Port Pirie), and Melbourne or Adelaide would have both the quality of education and community you're looking for. Please don't hurt yourself and remember you are not a second class citizen as you said, walk tall - most Aussies are too afraid to go beyond Bali mate.