We all belong here.

Living alone as a young adult and overwhelmed with life milestones and achievements, when does one rest and take a step back to find passion in life again? Running ahead in my life compared to my peers due to family pressure and being an immigrant away from them, stakes are high if I fail but yet I am only one person to take it all in. Few friends can relate to me and certainly I’ll still need to face it head on everyday with my own challenges coming by. Oh I wish I wasn’t feeling alone in my own battles with growing up too fast thinking so far ahead in life while also trying to experience fun with my friends and partner that’s only available in my 20s too

The clear bubble in the bottom left represents an individual going through a journey. The start of the journey is more lonely represented by the jagged cool line, and it gets more smooth and warm as time goes on, and you become more integrated to your new environment.

Loneliness seeped into my soul, like growing mould in the corner of a bathroom.
It was always there, but I chose to ignore it. I didn’t want to admit I was lonely. Admitting I was lonely would mean I was admitting my best friend didn’t provide me the level of care and attention I craved.
However, once I admitted, it was too late.
For too long had I pretended like nothing was wrong when everything was wrong.
For too long had I exacerbated her loneliness.
Bringing my best and authentic self to her did not help her loneliness. She needed someone else that wasn’t me.
She left me without explanation and I was lonely.
On a hopeful note, now we have found better friends that suit ourselves better than we suited each other. People who leave you with no explanation have no right to make you feel lonely so find better people.

Have you ever walked into a room and felt like you shouldn't be there? Like you are entirely invisible? I often feel that when I know that one part of my life is coming to an end. How can we truly immerse ourselves in a life, in a situation or a group, when we know that in a matter of days, minutes or hours, we will be leaving? Knowing that you're about to move overseas, or change universities, or graduate from your high school, and that you will never be in the same place emotionally or physically again is such a strange feeling. How can we connect with those around us when we feel like we're preparing to grieve our own life? Coming back to Australia after 6 months in England felt like the most isolating thing in the world, it feels like no one understands you. Surrounded by people, but completely alone. When everyone else's lives continue but yours seems frozen in time, how do you stop feeling so alone?

When I first moved to Perth to study, the beauty of the city struck me – its vast blue skies, serene sandy beaches, and lush greenery. But I felt that beneath the beauty of the city, there was a sense of isolation. As an international student, I realised that fitting in was not going to be as easy as I had hoped, given that there was a subtle social divide that separated locals and foreigners, thus making forming connections for me difficult.

I guess it was the unfamiliar surroundings and subtle cultural nuances that made me really depressed during the first half of my first semester. So, around the tenth week, I relayed my depressive thoughts to Mia, the elected well-being advisor of the year in my dorm. She invited me to her room and engaged me in a deep conversation for an hour. I vividly remember her telling me to build my space within the subtle cultural gap that she also agreed was prevalent in Perth. She assured me that it was perfectly alright to find peace alone, as stillness often held the answers.

Her words resonated deeply with me. Thus, I decided to embrace the solitude I was facing instead of trying hard to fight it. Through her recommendations, I began taking solo long walks and sit-downs along the paths and benches of Matilda Bay and the Blue House while exploring the city myself. I then started noticing the minor, subtle ways in which connections formed – through shared experiences with other international students in events organised by the University and my dorm, and random conversations in the dining hall of my dorm. Hence, I am eternally grateful to Mia, as through her words, I realised that I could find belonging by building a community not based on force or desperation, but just natural instincts, by being comfortable in my own space and not worrying or caring about possible social divide that could arise.

‍