Great leap forward
♥
Monday, June 9, 2008
9:50 AM
Hey all, sorry for the late post as ive been on a tight schedule and overseas(and still am) so i have been unable to post. haha.
I, like most of you here, have REALLY enjoyed the trip to Melbourne. Without doubt, I have learnt many different things about myself, my friends and most importantly, about the cultural differences between Melbourne and Singapore.
This trip was my third trip to Melbourne, as such, I do know abit about the cultural differences between the two countries. However, I have not yet been to a school in melbourne, so this was a new experience for me.
I learnt that having the flexibility to move out of one's comfort zone is essential to learning new skills and gaining valuable experience on this exchange trip. It was particularly wierd and hard for me as my host was a girl and she was rather tall(LAUGH!) haha. Im about 158 and she's probably 170!?!?
It did feel wierd at first but after the first day, i settled down and began to talk more to her and her family.
The invaluable experience gained from this exchange trip would indubitably be useful for one who would be going overseas to study in the future after their post-secondary education.
The first hurdle at food for me was using a fork to eat rice. It seemed impossible at first, but after a few tries, i had already gotten used to it and managed to finish everything on my plate (including the peas!).
Next was the sandwiches for lunch, im rather wierd. I dont like raw vegetables in sandwiches(subway is an exception!), my host made me a ham sandwich with a whole lot of vegetables inside. I did not want to be rude and throw the veggies away so i just put the sandwich into my mouth and munched away. After several days of eating veggies with the meat in the sandwich, i think i have gotten an acquired taste for it.
I usually dont do laundry or dishes at home. So this was a big change for me. After showering and changing out of my old set of clothes, i had to fold them and pack them back into my bag(I'm rather spoilt eh. =/) Dishes was the next one, it was rather easy as my host's family had a dishwasher(dishwashers are a godsend. really) all i had to do was give the dishes a wipe and wash them, with detergent then dump them into the dishwasher and voila. wooohooo. :D
Being responsible for my own belongings was the next hurdle. I'm not the best at looking after things. so yeah, go figure? haha. Thank God on this trip i was really careful and paid extra attention to both my belongings and those of my friends and I did not lose anything.
I learnt that I'm really blessed back home as I don't have to do all the housework and other chores like grocery shopping and the like.
Also, my host, Sarah is REALLY mature, which is in great contrast to me(haha. Dont ask how immature i am please. :D)
She does most of the cleaning around the house, cooking and even does the grocert shopping.
She is also VERY close to her parents and older sister, i think this is something worth learning from them as I dont think im as close to my family as she is to hers.
From this point of time, I've made a resolution to strengthen the bonds between my family and I. It only takes a simple goodnight hug to my parents or just simply saying goodnight to them before i go back upstairs to my room to go to bed.
I really miss melbourne and wish that the trip could span a little longer. :(
Thats all!
Im off,
God Bless,
James
♥Another Day In MELBOURNE♥
