Connected Conversations | Tom Sun
Third year nursing student Tom Sun thrives on seeing his friends on campus to study with and hang out together. Like many of our students, it’s the personal connections that he’s been missing over these past few months. There have however been many positive moments such as friends stepping up to support Tom when he needed it most. Read on…
Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hello! I’m Yinan Sun. Lots of people know me by my English name, which is Tom. I am a third-year Chinese international student studying nursing. I am also the international student representative for the Adelaide Nursing Students’ Society or ANSS for short. We run a huge number of events for all the international students. We do this to help students enjoy their time at uni, to settle in and make the transition to a new city easier. I live in a share house in Mile End with three other guys. We’re a household of three different Asian cultures; Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian. I am an easy going and sporty person. I have been doing weight training for over two years now and am very happy with the improvements to my strength that I’ve made… I think we need more strong nurses in Australia!
How do you manage your time while at home?
For most of the time, I enjoyed the flexibility of online learning especially being able to manage my own time. Now we don’t need to be at a lecture on time at 8 am. We can listen to the recording at any time. I have found that I have more time to manage my life now and be in control of when I learn.
What did you miss most about regularly being on campus?
I have really missed seeing my friends in our lectures during the past few months. I love the environment on campus when we are sitting and studying together. Personally, I do feel more motivated when I’m studying with friends, rather than just sitting at home by myself.
All things considered; what good things have you discovered or learned during this time?
When we transitioned to online learning, I found myself struggling. I hate to say it, but I am really quite bad at using my computer! But one of the best things that I discovered was how helpful and supportive all my friends are. This really helped me get through this tough time.
Name three things you won’t miss about this current moment in time.
My computer!
Missing my friends.
Sitting at home alone.
And the three things you won’t forget…
I have two… Not having to be on time for lectures! And my friends stepping up to support me.