Six Months in Perth: Time, Challenges and Small Victories

Believe it or not, it has been six months since I was posted to Perth, Australia. Time really moves fast, sometimes too fast and it still feels surreal. There are moments when I just stop and wonder if any of this is actually happening. But I guess that’s just how I process things sometimes.

What’s crazy this time around is how fast I’ve been learning. I mean, I’ve always said that I pick things up quickly but this time it feels like I’ve been on some kind of accelerated mode. It’s not just about learning new systems or routines, it’s about absorbing the culture, the rhythm of life here, the expectations and everything in between.

The real challenge though isn’t just the learning part. It’s about staying motivated to keep planning, to keep discovering, to manage time wisely, to think ahead and honestly to manage my own emotions and feelings. That’s a whole job on its own.

And now that it’s Ramadan, I realise that managing Ramadan in Perth is actually one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced so far. When I first arrived, I heard about the ongoing struggles with organising 30 days of iftar at Malaysia Hall. It sounded exhausting just thinking about it. So early on, I decided to take a different approach, one that would hopefully change the landscape a little.

I suggested the idea of forming a new kind of community, one that could unite both the Muslim community in Perth and the student community here. Alhamdulillah, it worked. They managed to establish a new group called MUSSWA: Malaysian Ummah and Student Society of Western Australia and together they’ve done an incredible job managing Ramadan at Malaysia Hall. From iftar to tarawih, everything has been handled with care, sincerity and teamwork.

One of the best things that came out of it was the opportunity to bring in religious officers from Malaysia not just to Perth, but also to our Malaysia Halls in Melbourne and Sydney. They’ve helped lead tarawih prayers and supported other Islamic activities around Malaysia Hall, creating a meaningful environment for both students and the local community. And honestly, it was beautiful to see.

Over the past six months, I’ve faced quite a few uphill battles, especially when it comes to managing Malaysia Hall. There’s still so much to be done. And I’m not going to lie, sometimes it gets overwhelming just thinking about it.

On top of that, there’s the responsibility of handling student bodies in Perth and across Western Australia. And then there’s the unspoken part: managing people’s expectations. That’s a big one. Because no matter how much you do, there will always be this quiet pressure that you should do more, be more, deliver more. And yeah, sometimes I want to. But I can’t make things happen like magic. That’s just not how the world works.

I believe in giving things time. I know I’ve done my part the best I can within these six months. But I also reflect a lot. And in typical me fashion, I tend to dwell more on the things I haven’t done, instead of celebrating the things I have achieved. Maybe that’s just how I keep pushing myself. Or maybe that’s something I need to work on too.

PS: But yeah. That’s where I’m at right now. Still moving, still figuring things out. And still learning, always.