Meet Stella

• Country
  Italy
• Educational institution
  International House Darwin
• Studying
  Advanced Diploma of Information Technology
• Student status
  Ambassador

Since I was 18 years old, I’ve been travelling around the world(ish) to discover and meet new cultures. I’ve lived in a few places in the past several years. The first time I lived abroad was in London in 2017. However, after almost a year, I realised that it wasn’t my place, and so I moved to Sydney. 

The day I landed at Sydney airport, I knew I had found my country. I now just needed to find my city too. Over the year that I spent in Sydney, I travelled around Australia, but I couldn’t find THE place I can call home. However, after a year of living in Sydney, I moved back to Italy to try to finish my Bachelor in Statistics and Mathematics, during this time my love for Australia didn’t fade. 

After years had passed, and a pandemic changed the world, I decided to give Australia another try. What I knew was that, as a student, I didn’t want to live in a big, too hectic place, and that it had to be a capital city. 

One of the Australian capital cities that is not huge and is on the ocean was Darwin. I decided to leave my comfort zone and chose Darwin as the city, even though no one I knew had been to Darwin previously. 

Nine months later, I can finally say that, with its pro and cons, I have found the place that feels like home. A feeling I’ve never had before. 

I chose International House because I had many friends that I did language courses with from around the world that had such great feedback on a college that has campuses around Australia. 

I’ve finally found the balance everyone should have. Darwin has great weather that is good for the mood. Getting around is very easy and you don’t have to spend so much time stuck in traffic! People are always smiling and are so friendly.