My Australian Journey (Part 4)

DAY 4 June 21, 2010
§ How’s the Food? §

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are
(Anthelme Brillat-Savarin 1775-1826)

Today was the first day of the program. Yudi and I went to Hawthorn exactly like what Annie told us to do. We felt that the weather was so cold and foggy, not to mention that we had to wait for the bus little bit longer. It was around 30 minutes, I guess. Imagine that no shelter or booth at all on the bus stop. When the bus came, we were convinced that we would be late for the first meeting.
When we arrived at Hawthorn, it was already quiet…which meant that the class had already begun. While we were browsing around the building, Liana called me from the cafeteria on the second floor and she took me to the cinema where almost all students gathered. We missed 4 students: Haikal, Iqbal, Almaz, and Baba. The first two finally showed up but Almaz and Baba didn’t.
The program was basically the introduction and orientation. We had Ms. Kerry Arlington as the acting principal and Jim Morrison as the accommodation officer. We were also introduced to the teachers; they are Bret Powell, Paramesh, and Carolyn. Once this was over, we had campus hunt when students were asked to find the rooms and facilities inside Hawthorn building. This activity was good as the students were paired and given a sheet of question and a map where they had to find out. This was used to familiarize them with their new surroundings. Then, it’s time to have a break…but still..Almaz and Baba didn’t show up. I tried to call them and their host family but there was no reply at all. Then…I thought…this is gonna be serious…and I started being nervous.
The teachers then put us into the Green Theater where we would have a language assessment and risk management. It’s more like a placement test…and when it finished, we talked about risk management as the next day we are going to have a city tour.
At 1.00 pm we had a lunch break. All students gathered at the students lounge and cafeteria. For some of them, this was the first time to see and taste strange food, while some others have already got packed lunch provided by their nice host family.
The students were very enthusiastic in tasting the food and I could see their faces…surprised ..shocked…because the food they ordered was not like their expectation. I strolled down the tables and observed what they ate. Sandwich…salad…chips…chicken..but I was wondering why they went back and forth to the cashier? Oh my God…the food was not enough for them…they kept on buying…and I thought that they spent more than $ 10 for the meal, not to mention the drink and snacks.
In the middle of that observation, I asked some of them about their activities for the last two days. My eyes open wider as I listened to their stories of going to some places in Melbourne. Unbelievable…they have explored Melbourne better than I have. Then I was curious how many places would they have explored in two weeks if they could explore so many places just in two days? Suddenly, Almaz and Baba showed up. I was very relieved and I asked them why they had been late. The answer was predictable: WE GOT LOST, SIR! It’s okay, at least they’re here safely.
After the break, students had their first English class while I had a meeting with Louis Brooth, the director for Study Tour Program at Hawthorn. Louis was a middle-aged man with around 165 cm tall (not too tall for an Australian, I think), and he spoke so softly…he was basically nice guy. We discussed the plan to have a meeting to talk next year’s program, and we agreed to have a talk on Wednesday the following week.
When the class was over at around 3.00 pm I decided to go home, while some students (especially the boys) decided to go to the city center. What I could do was just telling them to be careful and let me know when they’re home (most of them have bought the Australian number and saved mine). I went straight to Kooyong station by walking through Kooyong park. I was confused what train should I take, then a lady told me that I should go to Richmond and change train to Ormond. Woow it’s that easy….
It took about 30 minutes to get me home, while Yudi was away with their buddies. Then, we had dinner and maybe this was the best dinner I have ever had in Annie’s house because the food was strange to my tongue yet delicious: Chicken Pie, Quish (it’s chopped spinach with cheese put into some layers and each layer had a kind of flour and was cooked in Microwave), and Salad. This dinner was also used to share our culture and some chit chat. Once the dinner was over, we watch “Master Chef Australia in London”. This was Annie and Kay’s favorite TV show. However, since I didn’t really like it, then I left them and went to bed. This was the third day of more challenging adventure.