My family moved to Melbourne in 2007 from China and the only person we knew was my grandmother.

When we immigrated to Australia, both my father and mother had quit their jobs in China. Before the arrival in Melbourne, I had absolutely no idea what Melbourne would look like and how were we going to survive in this city. Same as other immigrants, once we got off the airplane, all we possessed were five huge suitcases.

My father started looking for jobs from the first week and my mother looked quite concerned in the first few months. But once we went out, we realised how good Melbournians are. They were so patient and helpful towards us even when we could not speak English properly. Therefore, there was plenty of time people were just talking to us using body language. Later, I was told this was one of the values that all Australian advocates called ‘mateship’. And soon enough, I realised this is the culture and belief I truly value and this is the place I wish to stay for my future.

As I commenced my secondary education, I struggled a lot with my study, language and socialising.

Lucky enough, many Aussie friends allowed me to join their groups, learning together and having fun together even though at that time I could not talk to them fluently. Apart from learning English from them, we also shared our interests, values and beliefs. For example, we used to do training for footy weekly and also went to church together, those experiences undoubtedly helped me fit into the Aussie society and become a new Aussie. Throughout the time we spent together, I had eventually got rid of my language and learning problem and achieved a satisfactory result for my VCE. I really appreciated the friends I made and we still have a strong friendship even now. I would not be the person who I am today without them.

As for now, since I have been in Melbourne for years, I am committed to helping others with needs especially those people who are eager to fit into the societies and get used to Melbourne’s lifestyle. I hope through collective efforts, Melbourne will become a global community where people are enthusiastic about helping each other.