My Journey to New Zealand
By Bunty Bou
ជំរាបសួរ!
Hi! Kia ora! I am an undergraduate student majoring in Communication Studies at the University of Otago in the beautiful South Island of New Zealand. Like the famous quote, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”, my journey started the same way, with a single step. Since then, IDP Education (Cambodia) and the Australian Centre for Education (ACE) have supported my educational and personal development.
I remember walking into my very first class at ACE in 2013, expecting only to improve my English language skills. Three years later, however, I graduated with not only the confidence to use English, but also with broad general knowledge that has come in handy in later life. One of the most memorable moments of my time at the school was being selected to be an ACE Student Ambassador (ASA) in 2015. In the ASA program, I learned a great deal about decision-making, working in a team and supporting public events for the school.
Fast forward to 2018, when I decided to drop out of my Cambodian university and do my degree abroad. My reason for this was simply dissatisfaction with the amount of knowledge and skills I had gained during two long years at university. This dissatisfaction diminished the passion for media and communication skills that I had felt since I was nine years old and would take pictures of plants at home using my aunt’s aged digital camera. A major turning point occurred when I was undertaking a three-month internship at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). During my internship, I attended leadership training in the Philippines delivered by the Southeast Asian Service Leadership Network (SEALNet). In a short amount of time I absorbed many new and inspiring perspectives, which reignited my passion for the art of communication and helped me realise that it was time to leave university and explore the world.
After months of preparing documents and finance, choosing a university, submitting applications and impatiently waiting for my visa, I finally made it to Dunedin, New Zealand, with the support of IDP’s student placement service. I have settled in well, despite at times feeling homesick. I am grateful to my loving and supportive family, the amazing people I have met along the way, and the University of Otago’s friendly and helpful international student service. I am amazed on a daily basis by how kind people are while also being professional and attentive to detail.
On the one hand, an aspect of moving your life across the world is that you can only prepare so much. On the other hand, my education, general knowledge, travel experience and love of reading have helped me immensely to adjust and adapt to this new social and academic environment. However, when homesickness kicks in at two o’clock in the morning, nothing can help. A call home only makes it worse. Before I came here, I had always believed people who said, “Home is the people you love”. Now, I have realised that this is only partly true. For me, home is both the people I love and the place I grew up to love. From my mother’s tender voice telling me that dinner’s ready to waking up in front of my glorious bookshelf every morning, I miss it all. I bought a one-way ticket to New Zealand, and am on a journey so far away from my family. But in knowing that they love me no matter where I am, I also know that I am on the right track to finding my place in the world.
Thank you to I’mACE Magazine for giving me the opportunity to thank the people I love and the places I miss. More importantly, thank you for giving my little sister, a student at ACE, the chance to take this magazine home to our family. A small piece of me is going home with her.