Living with Mary

Jane

Wu Hongxia

This is the first time I have lived overseas on my own. Before I left China, I was not sure about the life in Australia even though it’s only for eight weeks. Living away from home and family is always challenging, no matter which country you are living in. I wondered if I could adapt myself to circumstances of Australian life like other young teachers. I expected to live with a warm-hearted and friendly home-stay hostess. Fortunately, I have a very nice lady, Mary, to be my home-stay mother. At the beginning, I did feel a bit homesick, but I got used to it very quickly. Now, as time goes by, I not only like her but also respect her very much because of her smile, her knowledge and her way of life.

She is a very kind and gentle lady. When I arrived at her home, I spoke little, because I was afraid I would make mistakes. I like Chinese traditional food very much. Though Mary is busy with her business, she always spends time communicating with us. She looked after us quite well. As a cook and jeweler, she cooked different kinds of food, Indian, Greek, British, Chinese and Australian food. She told us that living in Australia is one of the most important experiences in our life. If we want to learn more about English and know Australia well, we should learn the culture of the country. The culture of a society is the way of life of its people. Australians are generally a relaxed nation of people. When she knew that I was a little worried about my daughter who would be a new student at university this term, she asked me to tell her the telephone number of my home-stay. She always tries her best to make us feel at home.

She is thoughtful and knowledgeable. As a jeweler, she knows a lot besides pearls and jewels. However, she is busy, she always reads at night in her study which stores a lot of different kinds of books. Among them are many cookbooks, because she likes cooking very much. She studies different kinds of food from different countries and we enjoy them every day. At the age of about sixty, she is even better at computers than me. She uses her computer to get more information about her business and learn more as the world develops so fast. She has good manners. She speaks gently and is helpful. In order to help us to improve our spoken English, she communicates with us as much as she can. She shows us how to play a game called Scrabble. She watches TV programs with us and discusses hot topics in newspapers.

With her help, we have learned a lot about special animals and the history of Australia. For example, pea-hen, heron, persimmon, quince, tamarind, mink, mist, prawns, rake and so on. Even traditional Chinese words in English like fertility, prosperity and longevity and some holidays like Father’s Day, Boxing Day which I have never heard before. Most of them can’t be learned at school but we are lucky enough to have a good teacher at home.

I don’t think I realized her quite well until something happened one night. She looks like an old-schooler, but she is very brave. One midnight after having a bath, I was going to bed while Mary knocked at my bedroom’s door, I was told that she had to go to her gallery because someone called her there was an alarm in her gallery. Perhaps something unexpected happened there. I felt very frightened when I heard it. I wondered if someone robbed her gallery. I thought she is an old woman and it’s not safe for her to go alone. So I suggested that I should go with her together. But she was very calm and told me just to wait for her at home. Luckily, she returned soon and nothing was going wrong there. The next morning when I greeted to her, I found she was very tired and she told me she was asked to the gallery again at 3 o’clock in the early morning so she didn’t sleep well. Everything was in order. Maybe it was caused by some small animals. Whenever it is, she has to go to her gallery as soon as she gets the telephone. What a brave woman she is! She is so independent and active that I admire and respect her very much.

I have lived with Mary for only several weeks but we have become good friends. With her help, I’m accustomed to the Australian lifestyle. We are getting on well with each other. Because of her kindness, I often think of my mother who died three years ago. I have learned as much as I can about the Australian way of life. Living with Mary is a journey in self-discover, my understanding of myself and my own cultural values becomes clearer and deeper. Living with Mary is also an opportunity to make a new and lasting friendship. I hope she will travel to China and live with my family. I’m sure I will be a good home-stay daughter.

Living with Mary is my special experience in Australia and I will remember it for ever.