A student from Italy, Ludarico Galti studying Foundation Year at ANU College.
ANU College
I’ve been here for three months. I’m from Milan, which is a big city. Canberra is smaller, but I think it’s a perfect setting for students and for me. It’s quieter, but here are still lots of things to do.
I’m loving it so far – there are so many different nationalities here. Back in Italy there’s just Italians; you don’t get that much of a difference. Here, it’s really interesting meeting all different types of new people, and then having a lot of fun.
The foundation course is helping me in every way; especially because it’s about international security. Asking people how their country became that country or how their cultures formed; it’s really interesting to me.
I chose to come to the college to see if I really liked the subject before I went to the Australian National University (ANU). It’s helped me realize I do want to carry on studying it.
Is it hard? Well the exams are something you’ve got to prepare for, but the teachers help you so that you’re up to date with stuff.
Friends
I’ve met people here from Pakistan, India, Oman and China. If I’d stayed in Europe, I would have just learned about European culture. Everyone here is open- minded and they’re not afraid to ask lots of questions, even argue about stuff! You get to learn at the same time and I think that’s beautiful.
Studying in English
If you want to go anywhere, if you want an international job, then you need to know English.
I spent three years in the US, so that’s probably how I learnt it, but I’ve always liked English as a language. I’ve always liked British culture; I watch English music and listen to English music.
We speak many languages in our family, we’re kind of an international family. I can speak Italian (obviously!), French, fluent English, and then I can speak some Spanish too. It’s quite close to Italian, so it’s easier to learn.
I thought about learning Mandarin too, because it’s getting very big, but it’s hard! My Chinese friends here are trying to help me, but it’s so completely different.
Culture
Australia is very different to Italy, but I like the Australians and their way of life. I’m getting used to waking up early like they do; it’s not like that in Italy! I love finding out about different cultures, so it’s very interesting.
The Australian accent is a bit funny, but I like the fact that I’ve learned so many new things; how Australian football works and more about kangaroos.
Location
A lot of European students end up going to the UK because it’s so close, but I’ve already been there. America wasn’t really for me, and I’d heard that ANU was a really good university. It was something new for me, and I wanted to try it out.
Teachers
I was used to having a kind of gap between teachers and students, but it’s different here. They’re so friendly, you can almost consider them as friends. They’re very supportive. If you fall behind, they do their best to help you.
Advice for new students
Don’t be scared because it is a long way from home. It took me 24 hours just to get here, so it could seem scary at first, but even if you have just a little bit of English, the people here very nice, You might think, ‘Oh god, it’s too far away, they all speak English and I’m not going to fit in’. I thought the same too at the start, but I’m doing great. Just go for it.
Arrival
I haven’t really had the time to even think about like being homesick; there’s just so many things to do. Since it’s all new to me, there’s not a moment that goes by without you discovering something new. I’m enjoying discovering new places with my friends and we still haven’t even visited the big cities like Sydney and Melbourne.
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