When Resham George landed at Melbourne Airport in July, the first thing that struck her was how diverse it is. “Just standing in line, I heard five or six different languages such as Indian, Arabic, Spanish.”
This experience has been one of many welcome surprises for Resham, a Bachelor of Education student from Christ University in Bengaluru. As the first education exchange student from India to study at Australian Catholic University (ACU), she has found Melburnians to be “friendly, helpful, and kind.”
“One thing I’ve enjoyed is striking up conversations with strangers,” she says. “In India, we’re trained not to talk to strangers, but here, the person next to you on a tram might just start chatting. It’s something I’ll probably miss when I leave.”
She has also been captivated by the city’s aesthetic, often photographing street signs and architectural details. “I love the mix of old-world and new-world architecture. The overall aesthetic really appeals to me.”
At 38, Resham is not a typical exchange student. Her path to Melbourne was a series of turns. Before her degree, she worked in publishing at HarperCollins. A chance to teach drama at her old school in Kodaikanal revealed a new energy in the classroom. Though a subsequent teaching role in New Delhi offered little work-life balance, pushing her back to editing, the pull of teaching remained.
This time, she followed it farther, earning a certificate to teach English and chasing the profession to Suzhou, China, and later, to a unique school in Jordan founded by the king. In China, she navigated the quiet caution of students wary of imperfection. In Jordan, she taught English for three years in a deliberately mixed environment of scholarship students and the elite, learning to balance their different worlds.
At ACU, she is often the oldest student but finds her classmates open and inclusive. She deliberately chose a course on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges—a subject specific to Australia that, for her, offers a universal lesson in centering marginalised voices.
“Learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices is going to have an impact on my teaching in terms of having a clear idea of how to bring out marginalised voices because disempowered communities are universal.”
Compared to her heavy, structured course load at Christ University, Melbourne has offered space to explore subjects more freely. “It adds to what I learn in India but gives me more room to try new things,” she says.
The exchange is supported by the Destination Australia Cheung Kong Exchange Program, a joint initiative with the Australian Government. As part of the arrangement, eight ACU students will travel to India in November for a two-week study tour.
The program at ACU has been led by Senior Lecturer Dr Sindu George, who worked closely with Christ University to establish it. For Dr George, Resham’s arrival is a significant milestone. “It is rewarding to help bring the first education exchange student from India to ACU,” she says. “This initiative is about building connections between two education systems and strengthening our reciprocal partnership.”
The academic concept that most excites Resham is translanguaging—allowing students to use their first language to build a new one, instead of treating it as interference. This feels personal; Resham speaks her mother tongue, Malayalam, “very badly,” and English is her language of comfort. The old method of erasing ‘mother tongue influence’ felt like it devalued identity, whereas this new approach celebrates it.
As her semester concludes, Resham looks ahead to finishing her degree in April. The world, thanks to her journey, is now a map of possibilities. She is open to finding work in India, Australia, or somewhere new entirely.
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