Welcome back to yet another day of living in Australia. With hot and dry summers and mild winters, Curtin accommodation is not for the light-hearted. I say this with sweat drenching my forehead; I am roasted. With the heat causing discomfort in the not-so-comfortable segments of the body, it is hard to stay pleasant in a space where the only source of simmering down is the bathroom shower! I know it sounds hilarious, but unfortunately, that is the sad truth.
Having lived for a year in the student accommodations provided on campus, my experience with them has had its fair share of ups and downs. For international students like myself, renting a shared apartment in an unknown land full of strangers can be scary. From the crazy cost of rent to deciding how much to spend on living expenses, the life of an international student revolves around the idea of hustling. The unaffordable cost of day-to-day necessities just adds to the struggle to meet our needs. Nevertheless, this can go on and on and never stop. But what I would like to bring to light is the significant hike in the accommodation fees for 2024.
When I set foot in Australia last February, the first thing I noticed was the beautiful landscape and the lush green trees filled with elegance. Five minutes out of the airport, a hot, dry gust of wind passed over me, making me realise that the grass is always greener on the other side of the road. Kurrajong Village, my on-campus student accommodation, immediately made me feel the warmth as if comforting me to stay forever as soon as the Uber dropped me off. With facilities like public transport, supermarkets, fast food chains, etc. at walking distance, this accommodation was hitting just the right spot for what was to become my home for the next two years. With high hopes of having paid $145 per week for a shared eight-bedroom accommodation, I was ready to embrace the challenges ahead. Although I shared a kitchen and washroom, I felt alone in the apartment. My room, despite having the perfect size, did not feel like my own. Obviously, I was missing home. But I knew I had to make this place my home for the remaining two years of my course.
A few months passed by, and I was enjoying my time with my flatmates. But rumours began to spread: “The rents are on the rise”. I took a deep breath and started some digging into what the rental costs would be for semester two, hoping that the rumour was just that, a rumour. Yet to my surprise, the rental rates had increased by $40, and mind you, the first semester was not over yet. Luckily, I had signed an annual agreement, which saved me from the semester two increase, but some of my close friends found it absolutely unreasonable. With the minimum number of facilities they provide, these flats don’t deserve the rise.
My annual agreement was due to be end in December 2023 which saved me from going penniless during the semester two increase in rates. Although this increment of $40 did not have an impact on me because of my annual lease with them, it surely did add to the pressure on me to hastily look for jobs.
It was during the first semester that I started looking for jobs in the need to cover my living expenses. But it was in a few months that I realized it was hard and getting more expensive to live in a city like Perth. With an already increased rate for semester two, it had become a necessity to work someplace nice in order to cover my stay in Perth. Somehow, I managed to crack a job, but it was still insufficient to cover my rent and other expenses which led to a frugal lifestyle. With inadequate air conditioning, broken resources, parking, and privacy issues, it was becoming difficult to justify staying despite the advantages of living on campus.
As the year ended, the prices shot up like crazy—a $100 weekly increase. Yes, you heard me right. Coming from a foreign country where prices were affordable to the public, this was repugnant. I am now paying $235 per week for accommodation where the only way to deal with the heat is my desk fan. I have had sleepless nights because of the rising temperature.
The problem isn’t paying, but getting what you pay for. From cobwebs hanging around in the exterior of the windows to killing spiders inside the room, I can surely tell that this is not how you expect to live. With hoards of activities and social bonds created while being part of the on-campus student accommodation, it is time to create a space that portrays good value for money.
