NING Qian

Zhejiang University, China
Exchange to The University of Western Australia, Australia

“What is the difference you have found here? I mean, maybe, cultural difference? With China? “ asked the lady sitting next to me. I can’t remember her name now. What I do remember is that her eyes were very kind.

We were at Devi’s birthday dinner in an Indian restaurant. Devi and her sons Ash and Gerard are the home-stay family I’m now living with. Gerard is the eldest brother. His girl friend Susan, the future priest Francis and Father Charles were also at the dinner.

“Wow! “ I thought for a while. “Can I say EVERYTHING?” I couldn’t help giggling, it just sounded perfunctory.

She nodded, smiled, and kept silent. She was expecting me to explain “EVERYTHING”.

“Well, everything is just, er, everything, you know, especially the people here, bus drivers, ballad singers, the waitresses and professors. They all look very happy! Am I being irrelevant?”

“It’s OK. What else?” Her smile encouraged me to continue.

“Every time I see something new, I think about what its Chinese counterpart would be like, and I feel I begin to know more about myself, because if you live in a place for a long time, you will become less and less sensitive to the environment. Once you are away from your hometown, at first you will find yourself ‘lost in translation’, but after a while you will enjoy thinking independently.”

“Er, that’s interesting! Where have you been to in Australia?”

“I have just come back from Sydney and Melbourne and it’s wonderful! I went to the Sydney Opera House and saw Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’. I also enjoyed myself during the six days in Melbourne. Melbourne has some amazing art galleries, beautiful buildings and ‘cool’ people.”

“What about Perth?”

“Oh I love Perth! To tell you the truth, when I was in Sydney, I missed Perth. I missed the people here: Devi’s family, my friends and the professors. One thing that really appeals to me is to share ideas in tutorials and lectures, when different thoughts are voiced, different opinions meet and collide. You are so proud of yourself that you are a part of it.”

“That sounds great, when will you go back to China?”

“This July, it’s only a half-year exchange program, and then I will go back to Beijing.”

Devi heard what I said. She asked everyone, “Who would like to go to China? Ning Qian will be your guide!”

I saw Father Charles and Francis raise their hands quickly. Their expressions were so funny, as if it was the sale of the century. Everyone burst into laughter.

Now I have just got home, and I can’t wait to write this down. It’s not a summary of all the days I have spent in Perth, but it’s moments like that that made this “journey” fabulous and unforgettable.

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