Accommodation Testimonial

Yuko Kitamura – Japan

Hello, my name is Yuko and I come from Japan. I want to say how lucky and happy I was to stay with you in Melbourne. I now have my family here in Japan and you two in Australia. Your house was beautiful and the quietness helped with my study. I cannot thank you enough for helping me to resolve my problems at Melbourne University. I will be forever grateful. I miss the girls in the house very much. Mano, I will always remember your kindness, care and support during my stay in Melbourne.

Lorenzo Roque – Brazil

Hello, my name is Lorenzo and I come from Brazil. At the beginning it was hard, moving to a new country away from my family and friends. However, the support and friendliness of the students at ASA made my adjustment so much easier. I love the multi-cultural cuisine at the accommodation. My favourite is the HAINANESE chicken Rice and the chilli. ASA has become my second home, and I have made many life-long friends who have become my extended family. You and Malcom have enabled me to find the right study and life balance. I will be forever grateful. Please come and visit us in Brazil.

Ayu Pranandari – Denpasar, Bali

I just want to say that both Mal and you do not just offer Asian student girls accommodation – you offer us a home away from home. You have always supported us and cared for us and made our life so happy whilst we study so hard for our future. I loved all the food that you cook; some I have never tasted before like Japanese and Korean. I really enjoyed the different activities you arrange for us too, taking us out to nice restaurants, beach, movies and for shopping. You will always be very close to my heart and I will forever remember living with you. It is the best experience in my life.

Diana Franco – Mexico

The atmosphere at ASA is so diverse, and I found it so interesting to get to know students from different cultural backgrounds and be expose to their food. It is very unique to have such cultural variety all under one roof, which adds to the special quality of ASA. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to make such great friends from around the world. I am also blessed with your kind and loving support throughout my stay. My parents have invited you to visit MEXICO soon. I promise I will cook Mole for you.

Wahyuni Sri Rejeki – Bali, Indonesia

This is the best accommodation I have ever been. Mano and Malcolm makes me feel at home and they have helped me a lot during my previous stay with them. I am currently studying in Melbourne for a second time after a two year break and I chose to come back and stay with them again because they are the best. Mano cooks different types of cuisine from around the world and I love her ‘Nasi Goreng’ and “Lamb Casserole” the most. Her cooking is always nice. Asian Student Accommodation is definitely the best place to stay and you get value for money and much, much more.

Theresa May- United States of America

I have never seen a house, especially a student accommodation with so many fridges and equipment for baking cakes and pastries. I felt that I was in heaven when I attended my baking course. It was so great to be able to discuss patisserie with you and watch the students devouring in to the cakes that I had baked. I was also impressed with the detail of care you provided to me as a new arrival with my banking, MYKI and mobile phone connections. I am so lucky to have found your place and thank you for picking me up after my classes so that I could bring the cakes home in one piece. I enjoyed our visits to the different cafes and I hope that we will remain for forever friends. Remember to pop over to New York and I will be your host. I am going to recommend your place to my friends.

Ayu and Wahyuni’s Parents – Bali, Indonesia

Kami orang tua dari Yuni dan Ayu merasa sangat senang dan puas atas segala pelayanan yang telah diberikan kepada anak – anak kami selama mereka tinggal di Asian Student Accommodation. Kami telah mempercayakan kedua anak kami untuk tinggal disana selama lebih dari 7 tahun. Mano dan Malcolm telah banyak sekali membantu anak-anak kami selama mereka tinggal di Melbourne, disamping itu lokasi accommodation ini sangat strategis, dekat dengan city, serta menyediakan fasilitas yang lengkap dan bersifat kekeluargaan. Kami ucapkan terima kasih banyak atas segala bantuan yang telah diberikan. Kami sangat merekomendasikan tempat ini sebagai tempat untuk tinggal bagi para calon siswa yang akan belajar di Melbourne.

Nilayon Gai – Thailand

Before I met Mano, I actually planned to stay with her for just a month or two. I was then going to move to a dormitory, closer to my uni in Clayton. After I met her and everyone in the house, I had such a great time that I let myself travel for two hours back and forth from home to uni for over 2 years because I really LOVED IT THERE. My friends even moved in with me and we would travel together Great people, great food, great place and the warmth in the household. What else do we need?

Maria Cheech – Columbia

Living together with the other students at ASA has opened my eyes to another world. Being introduced to Korean BBQ, Indian dosai, Vietnamese noodles, Malaysian roti, Japanese curry, Indonesian rendang, it has changed my whole concept of food. You know I love my FOOOOOOOOD. I will always forge a common bond and I look forward to reliving memories of my life in Melbourne in the years to come. Thank you for taking us out on day trips to markets, festivals and drives in to the country. You were a fabulous mother to us and very caring especially when I was sick. You spent the time to make sure that all the students get to know each other and we interacted well. I felt like a member of a big family. I will never forget you and Malcolm.

Karmani Thiang – Medan, Indonesia

I highly recommend Malcolm and Mano. As fully experienced home stay parents, they totally understood that English was my second language, so they were very patient in trying to improve my English. Secondly, the hardest part of studying overseas is being away from my family. Malcolm and Mano have created a second family for me. If, I had any problems or questions (even though it was not regarding my academic life), they would help me find solutions. Besides that, the day trip or activities that Mano organized made me feel like, I am at home. Finally, the FOOD is absolutely excellent with nice decoration. Trust me ‘coz I am very picky with food and hygiene.

Tipwipa Wongnijasil – Bangkok, Thailand

Hi! My name is Thip-a short time student from Thailand. Although it was only 6 weeks, I was very happy there.Host father and mother are very kind and understand me when I had a problem and other students who live here are very nice. At first, I was afraid that I’d be lonely but I was not. I have friends to talk and share. Some times, we had activities together. For the convenience, the house is near the city and the tram stop isn’t so far. It’s comfortable for going anywhere and it’s not dangerous. About meals, I could have rice every day and also I had many kind of food too! It’s great. (My weight increase 4 kilo!! -Mano, you can cut this part off ha-ha).On the whole I, really love there.

Jia Wei and Pei Wen – Malaysia

As brother and sister team, I enjoyed staying with ASA. We felt that coming from an Asian family, we struggled a lot during our first few months in Melbourne, especially in terms of finding an ideal accommodation that suited our needs. Moving to ASA, we were provided with useful orienteering activities that taught us to become independent and familiar with our surroundings, delicious food, and special care throughout our stay, which were what we needed most to become who we are today. Highly recommended for newcomers to Australia. Thumbs up for everything. Thank you ASA!

Amanda Liao – Taipei, Taiwan

When I started to write this letter to you, I really didn’t know what to say…….I mean how can I put into words the respect and love I have for you both. When I first arrived in Melbourne, I was just trying to finish my studies as best I could. You changed my life and I became a better and more focused student. I learnt so many things that I had never knew before. I loved the house and socialising with all the other girls, it made life that little bit easier, arriving as a foreigner in a strange country. I absolutely loved living with both you and Mal and I know that I will forever have a family in Australia. Thank you for being there on my wedding day.

Sara Dee – Indonesia

Moving abroad to study for the first time was initially a daunting experience to me, as I’m sure it is for a lot of other international students. However, at ASA, I immediately felt loved, cared for, and understood, which helped me to have a smooth transition to my exciting new life in Melbourne. Indeed, the quality of their support can be felt right from the beginning through their patience in teaching us how to navigate the public transport system, their thoughtfulness in helping us deal with any personal, social, or school-related issue, and even through the passion and care that go into their home cooked meals. Thank you Mano and Malcolm for everything you’ve done to me – you both are an important part of the reason why I’ll always remember my time in Melbourne with a big smile!

Florense Tong – Hong Kong

There is nowhere I would rather be, than as Asian Student Accommodation. I went to live at Malcolm and Mano’s accommodation, as an international student while trying to get into Melbourne Law School. With their immense care and encouragement, I made it to Melbourne Law School and graduated with degrees in Laws and Commerce at University of Melbourne where I met my husband. They didn’t only provide us with a home away from home, they gave us the support and confidence in pursuing what we wanted to be, which I have carried with me into my legal career and everyday life ever since. The household is always filled with warmth, happiness and laughter. I have formed some amazing friendships which I will cherish and nurture for the rest of my life.

Wasundara and Parents – Sri Lanka

I arrived at Asian Students’ Accommodation (ASA) as an international student from Sri Lanka. Malcolm and Mano were very warm, supportive and it was easy for me to cope with my home sickness. I met students from many different countries and was exposed to different types of food and cultures. I could not cook and knowing that the meals were prepared 7 days a week combined with a secure environment was very comforting for my parents. We all felt that we had found home. Mano was able to provide us with individual attention because we were a small boarding house. I found this special care extremely important for me. My dad and mum would ring Mano regularly.

It was a great learning environment for students who come from a non-English speaking background to practice English and learn about life skills. Mano would spend time mentoring and coaching us on how to manage different aspects of our lives. There were a lot of fun activities filled with laughter. I’m truly glad that I chose to live here. It has made me a better person and even my parents approve of the positive changes in me. I still keep in touch with my host parents and my ex housemates.

Ruth – Hongkong

I arrived at ASA as a naive teenager to study English from Hongkong. I stayed on to complete my high school and degree in graphic design. Mano was the best guardian and mentor that any student could ask for in Melbourne. She guided me throughout my academic career and personal life. I will never forget it because the skills I have picked up is now assisting me in my current career path. I also made some wonderful friends at the boarding house and we still keep in touch regularly. I would highly recommend ASA to students who really need guidance, love and genuine care during their student days in university.

Ekaterina Pogodaeva (Kate) – Russia

When I first arrived in Melbourne, I was very surprise to meet students from so many different countries at the boarding house. They were very friendly, supportive and I found it easy to adapt to my new surroundings. This being my first trip away from Russia and home, I found it so exciting to be exposed to the various cultures, customs and traditions of my housemates from Korea, Malaysia, Japan, China and Indonesia. Even though I struggled with my English, I still loved this home, my room and the warm family feel surrounding the house. My host mum was very caring; she made my stay even more comfortable and interesting with her delicious home cooked meals from different countries. I was just astounded by her dishes and looked forward to dinner each night. I enjoyed the shopping experience at Vic marketing and cooking Russian borscht with my host mum. I have made so many new friends and some of these friendships are going to last forever. Thank you for showing and teaching me about Melbourne and taking me on beautiful day trips. I will definitely return to Melbourne and live with you again. Mano, you and the girls have made my trip so memorable.

Carrie – Korea

When I arrived, I was like a little girl rather frightened with all that was new and strange. You helped me to adapt easily and find my way in my new surroundings. You took the time and care and I will be forever grateful. You are the best, a host mum that can make delicious traditional Korean Kim Chi and it is so yummy. I stopped feeling homesick. You have taught me the difference between being aggressive and assertive and I would like to thank you for this to. You have also given me the opportunity to acquire the skills on how to cope with my stress, my part time job, studies and understanding myself better. Coming and talking to you on all issues have been a positive learning for me. Thank you for being around whenever I needed you.

Jackie – China

My memories will be of a host mum who guided me and showed me how to become stronger as a person. You have been there for me during my ups and downs and taught me the necessary coping skills to deal with each of my problems. Boy did I have them, one after the other. I have no idea how I would have managed on my own. I am so glad I chose to live with you when I arrived from China. I have to say I loved the individual care that you and Malcolm put in to each of the students. You understood all of us. You will always be part of my life.