LETTER FROM
SYDNEY
For father-of-one ASAITHAMBY PERUMAL, 38,
it’s never too late to pursue post-graduate studies.
This accountant’s desire to expand his knowledge in
tax law has taken him to Sydney, Australia, where he’s
studying as well as working part-time.
Prior to going abroad, I was working at managerial level
in one of the top three accounting firms in Kuala Lumpur
for a couple of years. The desire to expand my knowledge
in tax law and research was what drove me to go abroad.
More so, there were no local varsities providing post-graduate
studies in the field that I wanted to specialise in.
I spent months researching UK and Australian universities.
Finally, the Faculty of Law of the University of New South
Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia, appeared to meet my requirements.
I knew it was there I could get the extra knowledge that
I wanted.
I
arrived in Sydney at the beginning of autumn (March to May)
2004 and it was the first time I had ever stepped into the
“Western world”. Certainly, it wasn’t
easy to become accustomed to the new environment (particularly
the climate and culture) and the demanding education system.
With my receptive mind and the moral support of my lovely
wife, V. Buganeswari, and good friends, I endured my new
eye-opening experiences joyfully.
As you may know, Sydney is in the” heart” of
Australia with blocks of concrete jungle as far as your
eyes can see. Two prominent structures that you will never
miss in your tour itinerary of this city are the Harbour
Bridge and Opera House. Sydney has a good public transport
system that commutes millions of people in a single day
by way of train, bus and ferry. You may not need a car to
tour Sydney.
People from Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America
and the Middle East can be seen in almost every nook and
corner of the city. This makes the city very colourful in
terms of culture, language and food. However, in some areas
in the outskirts are settlements populated by certain nationalities.
Hence, some of the suburbs are labelled Italian, Indian,
Greek, Chinese, etc. Visiting Sydney makes you feel the
presence of the whole world in one metropolitan city. Unlike
towns in the Klang Valley, this city becomes very quiet
after 8 pm, with the exception of pubs and a few fast food
restaurants which remain open till later.
Australians love talking about rugby and cricket. So if
you are going there to study or migrate, it will be handy
to know the rules and regulations of these games so that
you have something to talk about with the locals.
