On February 3 last year, I was sitting in the office contemplating life. I opened my drawer, and took out a pink floral sticky note. I picked up a pen and wrote: “Study at Australian National University, 2016.”
I hung the note on a tiny teapot-shaped holder, and placed it in front of me, so I wouldn’t lose sight of my future plan. Almost every day, I looked at the note, and it pushed me harder to work towards my goal. Next month, on February 3 – exactly a year later – I will become a stranger in a strange land. My morning sunshine will be different, my environment will be obscure and I will be breathing new life into my heart. I will be spending the next two years of my life in the Australian capital city, Canberra.
Since being offered admission to my university, where I will be studying anthropology, I began to paint my own version of Canberra in my head. We use our mind’s eye to foresee the future, because it can see things that our eyes can’t see. We see the world not as it is, but as we are.
I imagine my new home to be bursting with beautiful colours, and my university to welcome people from all walks of life; the education system to be competitive and intriguing. From my research, I learnt that Canberra is a city filled with greenery. I always wanted to ride a bicycle to my school, being a nature lover, so I will seize the opportunity to rent a bike and ride between Lake Burley Griffin and the Australian War Memorial. My family have always given me the freedom to explore life. But while I have always been free, that concept will feel different shortly. Leaving behind the comforts I know, and making it work thousands of miles from home, I want to test my own abilities and discover parts of me that I didn’t know existed.
One of my colleagues suggested that I should expect the worst when visiting a new land. Coming from a country such as the UAE, where the standard of living is so extraordinarily high, too often, when travelling abroad, people are disappointed by the lack of facilities. Her suggestions were to prevent over-expectation, which could eventually lead to heartache. Even though she’s right in some ways, I will take the opposite route. I have squeezed two years of my life into a suitcase, and I’m preparing myself mentally, emotionally and physically, to depart.
I have never visited Australia before, but I have met a few of its ambassadors here. Every citizen of a country is a reflection of their homeland. Intermingling with Australian co-workers has left me with even greater expectations from their country. I know I will face new challenges and get homesick, but I will grow stronger and broaden my horizon of knowledge of the world and myself. I believe tomorrow belongs to those who dream and turn it into reality.
Asmaa Al Hameli is a features writer at The National.
If you have a good story to tell or an interesting issue to debate, contact Melinda Healy on mhealy@thenational.ae.
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