Kabita Sijali

"My plan was to study abroad and achieve an international degree from the best available international institution. I chose Flinders University. However, it was not an easy decision for me.

Nepal was struck by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on 25th April 2015. I remember the day, it was a Saturday around 12pm. I hid myself under my bed and closed my eyes. I could hear screaming, people who were crying out of fear of dying.

I still feel goose bumps on my body when I watch recorded videos of that day and I cry. I saw the death and the destruction of buildings and our old heritage. I was in the final year of my 12th year and my final exam was approaching. After completing higher education, I left my family and country with a very heavy heart. After I arrived here, I struggled because of different teaching styles and a different style of studying. Sometimes, I felt ignored by other classmates. Many times, I had to face problems due to a lack of fluent English. However, I strongly believe that difficulties are what makes life interesting and overcoming those difficulties make life fascinating and meaningful. So, all of those challenges made me determined to accomplish my goal of gaining a degree.

I would like to say that it is more important to focus on how we react rather than emphasising on what happens to us. Life is like photography; we do need the negatives to develop.