Lawatan ke Sekolah-sekolah di Brisbane

Remember the trip to Brisbane that I was excited about? Well, it is over. I was there and back here in Singapore. Everything is just a memory. Another experience of a lifetime that got its place in my brain cell. Do I have dreams at night about it? No. Not that it has no impact on me but I do not feel the impact like when I was holidaying in Fraser Hill or Pulau Redang. Basically, i guess, the reason could be I am not with my husband and children to share the experience. Furthermore, I was going there with work in mind. But we do have our share of fun and laughter. Read on.

Let me start with the weather in Brisbane. It was just like Singapore. It was hot, end of autumn, but the wind is cool. Up until day 4 , I was still asking myself, am I really in Brisbane. We stayed in a service apartment in the CBD area. Therefore, I thought I am right in the middle of Shenton Way! I remember one night while standing alone on the balcony, I still could not get this idea of me still being in Singapore. It was the same atmosphere that I would have felt back in Singapore. Maybe I was expecting too much. Fortunately, as the days rolled by, I managed to get that feeling out of my system. It was great going to all the schools there. Honestly, there is a distinct diffference between their education system to our education system. But the difference stops there. School is school, teachers are teachers and students are students. That remain unchanged.

I have always heard and assumed that teachers over there are leading a much relax life than we here. But I was wrong. They also work hard. They also work long hours. Probably it is less stressful because of their culture and lifestyle. I learnt a lot though and it is just too much to talk in this single entry. But one thing for sure, my perception has changed.Going for this DDM course is already a changing experience.

There are a few things which I would like to highlight about the trip. First is the group im with. There are 8 of us plus Contance from the agency. 3 male, Chinese, Malay and Indian, 5 female, 4 chinese and myself. We are such a dynamic group. All the different races and yet we work so well together. I stayed with the other 3 Chinese girls. We had so much fun. Every night after doing our report, we would sit and talk and laugh and talk and laugh. No one is intereted to watch the televsion. I don't know what my group think of me but they were surprise when my true self come out. Baru dia orang tahu! Dia orang ingat MT teacher ni tak ada substance ke? I kenakan dia orang cukup-cukup sampai last-last panggil I Guru. Bukan guru sekolah tetapi guru as in the Wise One. Biasalah, inilah masanya I practice my psycological ability. Dulu bercita-cita nak hadi pakar sakit jiwa (alamak tak sedapnya), I mean psycologist.

Manusia ni pelik. There is this Chai Noi, blur queen. Dengar cerita dia boleh pecah perut. Betul-betul punya classic. Ada ke pergi Macau dan balik pada hari yang sama! Dia silap book ticket balik! Kalau nak cerita di sini sampai tiga hari pun tak habis. Terlintas dalam hati, macam mana si blur queen ni boleh jadi HOD? Tapi bila dia start kerja, kalah semua orang. Baru aku tahu kenapa dia jadi HOD. Betul punya komited dan tak mengira. Bolehlah..dia tu masih anak dara. Kita ni semua mak dara. Mana sama.

Hari-hari ada saja perkara yang melucukan terjadi. Bila balik apartment, kita akan cerita semula, reflectionlah konon. Tapi dia orang sporting. Tak ambil hati. Teringat nak bukukan cerita-cerita lucu kami. Tengoklah.

Another one is Judy. Hai si ibu beranak dua ni, tiap-tiap pagi dan malam asyik tenyeh muka saja. Dia ni kecil orangnya. Badan macam anak dara sunti. Tapi suara, macam adan amplifier. Tegas pun tegas juga orangnya. Tapi semua tak tahu. Tapi macam tahu. Dia ni lulusan sarjana. Dia kata dia tak belajar sewaktu di Universiti dulu tapi macam mana boleh lulus? Kalau tak belajar boleh lulus, kalau belajar apa nak jadi tak tahulah. Dia orang ni semua memang orang berada. Tahu semua sudah siap. I ni yang dah biasa sajikan sarapan pagi, basuh pinggan mangkuk dan basuh baju masih begitu di sana. I yang siapkan makan pagi mereka. Tak complain. Sebenarnya seronok dan nak savelah konon. Kalaulah boleh masak makan tengahari dan malam pun I sanggup. Tapi nasib baik tidak. Terfikir penat juga nanti. Dahlah I kena sertu almost all the utensil!

Cakap pasal makan, memanglah susah. Ada restaurant kata halal tapi tak. Nasib baik ada Nandos. Hari-hari makan ayam, fish and chips dan kebab ke kebab. Sampai hari ke 5 dah tak boleh tahan. I started craving for mi soto. Tengok dia orang makan noodle, meleleh air liur. Mata menjeling tapi apa nak buat. Sabar saja. As soon as i came back to Singapore, straight away I go to Afghanistan (restaurant,bukan negeri..) makan apa lagi, mi sotolah! Macam mana nak tinggal Australia ni? Hai, Ibu Mertuaku yang di Melbourne, rasa-rasa tak jadilah ke sana..

(bersambung...cerita sedih...nantikan)