My Time In Australia
I am Weirou Yu, a 25 years old Chinese girl. I am an international student who currently studying the Master of Business at Griffith University Gold Coast campus.
Before I went Australia, my agency ‘GloAce’ contact with the AHN homestay in Gold Coast to help to organize the homestay family for me.
On 24 June 2015, I first arrived in Australia and start my life of homestay. I know exactly nothing about Australia except for the geography knowledge before I came to Australia. A guy who arranged by the university picked me up and drove me to the homestay family. It was my first day of my homestay life. My host mother prepared the lunch for me and helped me open my bank account. She showed me around the Griffith University and taught me how to go to Griffith University.
Something happened two days later, I took the bus home. It is the first time that I went home by bus. The Australian bus is very different from Chinese bus, it needs to push the button before the stop. I didn’t know and I got off the bus near the end of the bus route where was far away from the location of homestay family. What’s worse, I didn’t know where I was. Then I called my host mother and ask some passengers for the location. My host mother came to pick me up by following the bus route and check each station.
In the house, everything was well prepared and I felt comfortable. The family has two puppies called Max and Buddy. I am a dog person and I loves to pet puppies. We had a lot of fun with the boys. Sometimes we waked up very early and brought the boys with us to the beach to play. Seeing the sunrise, throwing the balls for boys to catch by swimming. Sometimes we took the boys for a walk. We also played with boys in the backyard in the afternoon. However, puppies not always be a good boy. In the beginning, Max took and destroyed many things, such as my hair brush, hand cream, shoes and so on. Although Max being a naughty boy for many time, I still like it very much. While Buddy just wanted 24/7 petting without stop. Recently, Buddy caught mice in the yard. What a good boy. Life with the boys was so happy.
I stay with the homestay family for two and a half years. My host parents are so nice and kind to me. During my language course, we had been Toowoomba twice for the birthday of the two nephews of my host father. I also participate some university activities with my friends.
When the Christmas of 2015 came, I didn’t go back home. On the 24 December 2015, they took me to the Finnish Christmas dinner which was held by my host mother’s parents. We enjoy a very yummy Christmas meal and experienced a lot of Finnish Christmas culture. The next day, we had an Aussie Christmas at a camping area with my host father’s brother and his family. The last Christmas, we went to the Finnish Christmas dinner again and celebrate the Christmas with host mother’s family. By the way, my host father was the Santa last year.
The first Easter holiday, we went camping at Red Rock, NSW. We did have a good time there. Something very excited happened there, my host parents got engaged in host mother’s birthday. Everyone was so happy and congratulated to them.
Two and a half years of living with them, so many things to talk about. I am really happy when I lived there. They are very nice people and taught me a lot of
Aussie cultures, lifestyle as well as language. Lots of unforgettable memory shape my homestay life. I missed them all the time after I moved out.
