Christine | Frankton, Otago

“I’d say that last year when I first came here, I left my country and I came here, I was feeling quite lonely, so my roommate, I wasn’t that close to her, but she made sure that I had my meal. Talking to her about stuff, not feeling lonely and just sitting in my room, and she would every day make time for me and sit with me, talk to me.

We still share meals. We used to go hang around. That was really a good thing at the time, because she was really kind and really good to me. So, away from home I felt like I was home with her. 

So, I was in Dunedin with her. She had to go back to Auckland. So, we keep in touch whenever we can. It’s been almost eight, nine months now, but we keep in touch. We message each other, or if we need anything, we just keep messaging. That’s how we’re connected at the moment. If she wasn’t here, I wouldn’t feel home. I would like to thank her and just let her know that she was special, and she’ll always be special to me. She made me not feel lonely. I would be always thankful for her being here, and helping me out.

If I could see her I’d say thank you for being there for me, you do have a really special place in my heart, and you’ll always be that special one. Thank you for making me feel at home. Thank you so much. I always appreciate that. 

You need to be kind. It boosts up other people’s confidence. It helps people to think good about the world, and there are not only bad people. There are good people around. It just creates positivity, I feel. That’s actually what we’re lacking. There’s a lot of negativity going around. It’s always good to have some positivity, and just being kind, it’s not a bad thing. It does not take time to just be good and kind. It’s human-like. Everyone’s the same. Just treat everyone the same.

I’ve just been here two years now. The first time that I came here, I wasn’t that comfortable, because I come from India where it’s quite crowded. Everything is just fast over there, and over here it’s slow. It’s nice. It’s calmer. It was a switch for me. It took a while, but it’s getting better every day. I’m getting used to this culture. I’m getting used to this place. Work-wise, study-wise, everything. It’s just growing. Just getting to learn good things. Every day is a new day. Every day I’m learning something new. So, yeah I’m enjoying it.

I never thought that I could do things all by myself because I was dependent on my brother, my parents, my friends, but coming here made me feel a lot more independent. I got confidence in myself that I can do things on my own. I didn’t need anyone to support me, or to get me up. That made me more independent.

For me, relationships matter a lot. I love to keep my people connected. I don’t like to lose people, and you always need to have someone to go to, and family, friends are that home for me. I feel really comfortable with them. So relationships mean a lot.”