Farewell To Perth: A Reflection

Whenever I arrive in a new place, I take a walk to get my bearings and try to suss out the general vibe of a place (okay, full disclosure, I’m usually looking coffee).  As I cross streets and try to commit the signs to memory so I won’t get lost, I always experience a moment where I feel so overwhelmingly out of place that it nearly stops me in my tracks.  I can’t imagine ever feeling at home in a place so foreign.

But it happens.  Invariably, it happens.

One day you’ll be walking down that same street that felt so unfamiliar and realize you can’t remember what it felt like to not feel comfortable here.  Someone will stop you for directions and you’ll tell them, without hesitation, which way to go.  The server at the local café will greet you by name.  You’ll realise that, without even trying, you’ve got a routine that includes a standing lunch date with friends; every Tuesday.  And you have people you call friends.

In our three weeks in Perth, it amazed me how quickly our students made this place a home away from home.  By the second day, they could make their way around campus.   By the first week, they were pros on the public transit.  By the end, they were saying things like “lollies” and “ute” and “morning tea” like they had grown up doing it.

When people travel, we tend to hear about the landmark attractions and see the highlight reel on Facebook or Instagram or Snapchat.  And yes, we did do all those things you would expect from a trip to Australia: we pet kangaroos, and went surfing, and witnessed surreal sunsets, and practiced TimTam slams as many times as it took to perfect our technique (and boy, were we dedicated). 

These things we will remember – and have the photos to prove it. 

But the memories that will stick with me aren’t just in the tourist attractions; my travel experience is in the small moments that could easily escape notice. It’s in those fleeting moments of kindness and curiosity and courage that happened daily basis. 

It’s in seeing one student offer to loan clothes to another until her lost luggage arrived.

It’s in seeing strangers become friends while playing Uno on their first night in the airport.

It’s in Hailey, who was the first to get a conversation started with anyone, and who started our nightly “highs and lows.”

It’s in Kaycee, our quiet observer, truly taking every experience into her heart.

It’s in Stefanie’s thoughtfulness, engagement, and willingness to lend a hand with dishes or defend the grill from greedy wildlife with nothing but a broom and her wits.

It’s in Peter’s way of saying hello to everyone, whisper yelling their name; or asking questions about anything and everything while discovering new things around him.

It’s in Sydney’s dramatic retelling of daily events that made us all smile.

It’s in Gill’s aggressive satisfaction with punching holes in the ground (for tree planting), and so many unintentional one-liners it’s impossible to remember them all.

It’s in Frances rallying her crew and being a constant source of encouragement

It’s in Diana’s enthusiasm for surfing and go-with-the-flow attitude that could have had her mistaken for a local.

It’s in Chris’s sharp but subtle sense of humor, and his enthusiasm for being photographed with a fish eye in his hand.

It’s in Katie’s leadership as the first person to jump into any situation (sometimes literally), and whose positive attitude made every activity fun.

It’s in Sophie’s keen inquiry and animated love of podcasts.

It’s in Natalie’s low-key contentment with the big and the small moments, and her ability to make everyone feel welcome.

It’s in Leslie’s bright mind, her ability to come up with games to play on buses and how she easily convinced all of us that bats are adorable.

It’s in Ashley never once failing to say ‘thank you,’ to anyone we encountered – from servers to teachers to bus drivers – even when she thought no one was listening.

It’s in Carly enduring a very unpleasant ferry ride without a single complaint, and some great side conversations throughout the trip.

It’s in Danxien’s fearlessness and tenacity and how she spent hours practicing her cycling skills one night so that she would be able to keep up with everyone the next day. (And she did!)

It’s in the moment Naija became the kangaroo whisperer at Caversham.

It’s in Ivy’s cutthroat “fishing” skills, her ready smile in any situation, and the best quokka selfie of the trip!

It’s in Evie’s down-to-earth, unapologetic self-proclaimed awkwardness, and her outright anger at the movie Red Dog.

It’s in Charlie’s dapper attire, his tireless kindness, and the positive, supportive attitude he extended everywhere we went.

It’s in all the moments where our students found themselves out of their comfort zones, facing the unfamiliar, and became their own heroes again and again.

This is the brilliance of travel and the essence of education.  It isn’t any single action.  It’s an intention, an attitude.  The more you learn to navigate and adapt and interact and accept, the better equipped you are to face the challenges of the future.  The more people you embrace from different backgrounds and cultures and ideologies, the more you are able to understand yourself and find your own strengths.

The experiences of travel you carry in your memory, but it’s the lessons – whether you’re aware of them or not – you carry in your heart.