BRISBANE AND ME FIVE STAGES

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "BRISBANE AND ME FIVE STAGES"

Eustacia Lester
5 years ago
Views:

1 BRISBANE AND ME FIVE STAGES Having no expectations, me, myself and I, came to Brisbane with 1 suitcase, 1 backpack and 1 satchel. I went through 5 stages of becoming an adult when I got on the plane that day. First stage, denial. I was completely devoured by my fear of traveling alone to a foreign country that I repeatedly told myself I am not bold enough, not confident enough, not old enough for this. I knew back then that my parents could see through me, the whimpering me a portrait of vulnerability, inside. Second stage, anger. Annoyed, angry, agitated with everything/everyone I saw because I was too afraid of my own fear, that I have make myself occupied by being bothered with other people s existences. I would not stop giving off a bad vibe; and in retrospect, I understand now why people were cautious of me. Third stage, depression. For me, whenever I become depressed, procrastination is inevitable. I cooped up in my room, trying to not think about the dreadful day of having to hop on the plane filled with strangers. What if there is a zombie apocalypse? Who would stay by my side and help my smash the skulls of the people who have been zombified? Answer: zero (Like a cherry on top of a perfect sundae called depression, my imagination runs wild too) Fourth stage, bargaining. I tried brainstorming all the ways I could do to not have to go to Brisbane. A cold, a stomachache, having held back by Vietnamese customs for not having my passport on the day of the flight, you name it. It had been such a long time since my brain got juiced that much, so that s why creating a spider-web brainstorm at that moment, that stage made me feel so alive. Fifth and final stage, acceptance. Like August Pullman in Wonder, written by R.J. Palacio, at one stage in one s life, one must do what one never though one could do; in the main character Auggie s situation: going to school, even though he is, what most people would regard as deformed. Came my epiphany: This is the turning point in my life. I got on the plane that day, 10 th July 2015, and the rest, is history.

FIRST IMPRESSION MATTERS First time coming to Australia: nerve-wracking. I did not know what to expect. As far as I know, there isn t any movies about the expectations one has about Brisbane.

2 FIRST IMPRESSION MATTERS First time coming to Australia: nerve-wracking. I did not know what to expect. As far as I know, there isn t any movies about the expectations one has about Brisbane. There is no what to expect when you are unexpected kind of thing concerning the place I will be studying at for two weeks. However, being a sloth of a human as I am, not much research was done beforehand. I set foot on Australian soil at noon of 11 th July 2015 and the weather was nice. Blue sky, cool breeze, an escape from the heat in Vietnam, specifically, Ho Chi Minh City. The comfort-like feeling I was having at that moment had planted its first seed of a species of flower called mylove-for-brisbane Corny, but accurate. Going through customs, getting my package, I did everything according to the protocol. I was used to it. I was used to the routine. What I was not used to was having people I have never talked before pick me up at the airport. Cautious yes. However, that day was the start of something new; and those people all of the people who picked me up that day, welcomed me like I was already a part of their family - had made me fall in love with Brisbane, with Australia even more. THE PEOPLE There will always those moments in your life when you feel lonely, even if you are not at all what you consider alone. And so you try to fill the void you have somewhere in the depths of your soul, even though you do not have the slightest idea where they are, by trying to be as sociable, as approachable as you can be, with a hope that then the loneliness will dissipate. However, doesn t matter how hard you have tried, you still feel lonely from time to time. It is inevitable. I did not expect to be included in any social group/circle during the time I were in Brisbane to be honest. I would keep assuring myself how content I am even if no one is willing to be my friend. It was not that much of a difficult task; since I have been doing it as long as I could remember. Surprisingly, with great joy, I was accepted for who I am, for the socially unacceptable girl that I am. The acceptance came from both teachers, and students from Ferny Grove SHS. Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude to the family who have treated me like one of their own the Smiths. Shane, Alison, Caity and the Japanese homestay sister Miri have been beside me, supported me, brought me great joy during my 2-week stay. I am honestly, truly, deeply thankful. They have showed me the world; as in Brisbane.

3 A WHOLE NEW WORLD (Aladdin) I forgot that I might see So many beautiful things I forgot that I might need To find out what life could bring Andain, Beautiful Things Before coming to Queensland, I was actually in what most people call teenage crisis. Nothing specific though. I just felt quite depressed on a frequent basis. However, since the moment I set foot on Brisbane s soil, I knew in my gut that an adventure lying in front of me was something definite. And I was right. (surprising actually, since I am not right most of the time) The first place I was taken to by my homestay family was Glass House Mountains. We walked, we talked, we took in everything that nature has to offer. Although it was quite chilly, I felt rather warm inside. Call me corny as you please. Nonetheless, the warmth inside of me at that time was unforgettable. After that was a series of outings. I was taken to Mary Caincross Reserve where I saw some pademelons, had a picnic-like lunch at Monteville whilst listening to some live music, had hot milk tea with chocolate muffin on the side at Mount Coot-tha after school, observed an aerobic lesson at a sports centre with a fellow homestay student Miri, and not to mention went to Bribie Island for a BBQ and cycling tour along the beach. Although every single places I have been to hold a special place in my heart, I believe that Ferny Grove SHS holds an exceptional spot to be honest. In that school, I have learnt how different the two education systems are from each other (comparing between Vietnam s and Australia s education system). Neither of them are better, they are purely distinct. For instance, one class period lasts 45 minutes in Vietnam, but lasts 70 minutes in Australia. Or how in a Vietnamese school, all of the class will learn the same 13 subjects together for a whole year, while Australian students pick 7 subjects which they like the most and study in different classes with different people in the same year. The differences are numerous. Relating to that, I did pick some rather interesting subjects like Ancient History or Agricultural Science. In Ancient History, we got to watch a video about the Great Depression which I think was absolutely fascinating. Not only that, in Agricultural Science class, the teacher let us go to the not-so-little farm owned by the school and weighed some sheep. Although I was born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City, I am just a city girl by title. Most people would be surprised at how willing I am to get down and dirty. Not to mention, I held lambs in my arms and even fed one during my trip without feeling afraid of getting dirty for one bit.

4 Also, within the school grounds, I made plenty of memories with all my new friends. There are moments I, myself, giggle every time I look back were when I told everyone to call me Knee, since my name sounds relatively alike the word Knee. So Mikaylah, Tim and I called ourselves Knee, Elbow, and Wrist group. Sometimes, there would be friends calling me Elbow too. I took no offense in people calling me that because I knew right from the start that they had no bad intentions whatsoever. There was actually one time I twisted my ankle a bit while walking to my Drama class and scraped my knee. They would joke about like: Nhi scraped her knee, Nhi twisted her ankle, Check and see if you hurt your elbows or not Nhi. Thanks to them, I forgot all about that incident in just a blink of an eye. HAPPY TUMMY I am truthfully not, in any possible way, a picky eater. You don t need a silver fork to eat good food. Paul Prudhomme My definition of good food are foods which have been made/cooked wholeheartedly; and I feel really blessed being able to enjoy good foods, not to mention drinks, during the time I was in Brisbane. Every single meal I had at the Smiths household was simply delicious. However, I wasn t able to take any pictures of the dinners I had since I have a habit of digging in as fast as I can when good food is presented in front of me. Though I do have some pictures of other foods/drinks I had outside my homestay family. Like the heavenly hot peppermint chocolate made by Ferny Grove SHS s barista. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water, though it would be too warm to drink it now (in Vietnam I mean). Getting rounder is something I am not keen on, but if that is the consequence of being able to taste/have such delish dishes/drinks, I have no problem with it at all. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS Through this scholarship program, I was able to practice my English skills more and I am really thankful for that. In addition, getting acquainted with a lot of people, gaining heaps of knowledge and memories is a real prize. A lot must be taken into consideration right now, regarding where I would like to see myself in the future. Despite

5 being an overly-optimistic dreamer, I believe that with hard work comes great results. With my eye on going into International Relations major at university, I sincerely believe that the experience I had in Brisbane will be of use to me, not just to go into the major I like at university, but also aid me later in life. All in all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to EQI, Ferny Grove SHS, my homestay family, and in general all the people I have met during my 2 week stay in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Because after those 2 weeks, I am one step closer to the stars. Sometimes I think my head is so big Because it is so full of dreams. John Merrick in Bernard Pomerance s The Elephant Man

Meditation on Suffering

Meditation on Suffering All of the different categories can be summarized into three suffering of suffering, the stub your toe, in your face sufferings suffering of change on beach, hot, go into water,