Goodbye, Murdoch: An Explanation and Retrospective Walkthrough

This post is probably more for my benefit, but maybe yours too.

It’s hard to start when saying goodbye to someone, and it’s no different when you say goodbye to something. I always forget that the week before the semester starts is O Week (Orientation Week), so as I walked into Murdoch University today for the last time as a Murdoch student, other kids were walking into Murdoch for the first time as a Murdoch student. I thought it was kind of poetic. “Every end is a new beginning”, is that not the proverb? Well, today marked the end of my Murdoch student life and the beginning for someone else’s.

Goodbye, Murdoch :(.

It only occurred to me today when I posted the above picture with that caption on Instagram and Facebook and received some comments that not every one knows what’s going on (I know, arrogant of me to assume that everyone is just waiting on the edges of their seats to find out what’s going on in my life. My apologies). I also have a bad habit of moving countries without telling anyone. I wanted to tell people in person but it was taking too long to meet up with everyone and I was getting tired repeating myself over and over again, so consider this my explanation.

Yes, today I sent in my application of withdrawal to Murdoch University. “Why?” I’m transferring to Ithaca College (please don’t hate me, guys). I had an amazing time and experience there and I learned so much more in one semester than I did in a year and half at Murdoch. And being there was the first time I could say that I was properly happy in a decade. I thought about this decision to transfer for a long time, even after I’d been accepted by Ithaca College. There were a lot of things to consider; money, time, family, friends… But at the end of the day, Ithaca won out.

I was (am) happy in Ithaca. To those who know me well, you know that that means a lot to me, and isn't something I can say and mean often. I was happy with what I was learning, what I was doing, what I could potentially do, where I was in life, what I was experiencing (the good and the bad), I was comfortable with the people I was surrounded by. I was worked harder than I’d ever been worked in my life (even harder than year 12) and stressed beyond belief at times, but I actually felt like I was learning and growing. My sister said she had never seen me work so hard and enjoy it before. But apart from that, studying in IC would give me the education, training, conditioning, credentials and contacts that I would never have gotten at Murdoch or in Perth.

But with saying that, without Murdoch I would never have gone to Ithaca. So thank you for everything, Murdoch. I might not have learnt much, but I did meet some incredibly awesome people.

My last time on Bush Court as a Murdoch student.

What I do remember of Murdoch is lying on Bush Court eating hot chips and drinking coffee (or often sleeping, too), trying to avoid the crows and magpies, eating Chinese (“noodles and honey chicken, please!”), laughs at the Tav, the MASSIVE hike up the stairs from carpark 7, class picnics, and countless moments spent with (and making fun of) friends. I guess I remember going to class too, but honestly, there aren’t that many classes to attend or remember when you only go to uni three days a week, for an average of an hour and a half to two hours each day, like I did in my last semester there.

Good ol' Murdoch Tav.

Walking through Murdoch for the last time as a student there was bittersweet. I’ll miss it but I know bigger things are waiting for me at Ithaca.

This might be a goodbye to Murdoch, but it's not a goodbye to Perth. I didn't realise the friends I had here until I went away and I'm so grateful that they're still around. Don't worry, I'll be back. You can't get rid of me that easily :).