Being in a new country may make you miss home. There are plenty of ways to stay in touch with your friends and family. Phone cards are cheap and easy, so are internet cafés. You can also find free Wi-Fi in many public places. There are also lots of community, business and student groups to help you feel more at home here.

Even though you’re meeting new people and having an exciting experience, being so far from home can make you sad that you are not seeing your family and friends. Connecting with those important to you regularly and keeping up to date on what’s happening back home may help you find the right balance.

Internet and phone

There are plenty of ways that you can stay in touch and share all your news regularly. Prepaid international phone cards to use in public or private telephones are inexpensive and are available at many supermarkets and convenience stores, and using internet tools such as Skype or Viber can be cost-effective if you make use of free Wi-Fi spots in public areas. You may also want to get an Australian prepaid or contract mobile SIM card which can be purchased at supermarkets, convenience stores and mobile phone providers. You’ll find what you need to know at studiesinaustralia.gov.au

Multicultural media

To help you stay in touch with others from your community or get news from home, there’s a wide range of publications such as newspapers, magazines and websites available in many languages and dialects. You’ll find a lot of them here:

• sbs.com.au
• pubintl.com.au
• crc.nsw.gov.au