I have always believed changes are for the better. At least, that’s the way I like to think. I am a 23-year-old Venezuelan girl, with the dream of travelling the world. I mean, who doesn’t want to travel? That’s probably the main reason to choose Cairns as my first stop!  In order to make it to this city I travelled for almost four days and took 5 planes. When I finally arrived I was so excited about all the new things and the other ones to come. Also change comes with many responsibilities, because we are literally on the other side of the world, you have to manage by ourselves day by day.

The constructive side is you are never alone: there is a bunch of people doing the same thing as you. Before I landed I already had some friends around here who were also from my home country. They picked me up at the airport and the first thought crossed my mind: What I am doing here? Am I strong enough to go through this? What is the first step?

All those questions disappeared when I took my first ride along the Esplanade, and they never showed up again. But the main challenge was being able to eat, live and dream in English. I remember the first day a native Australian spoke to me I wasn’t able to understand a word he said! I felt so overwhelmed at that point, I just wanted to scream! I was certain no one would understand me.

Now three weeks have passed, I don’t feel overwhelmed anymore and I am perfectly capable of maintaining a five-minute conversation with anyone. That’s the thing about changes: everything is possible but never easy. Everything spins so fast, but soon you will be able to handle it all.

Change is good and exciting, you can bet on it!

Jeanette Awak, Upper-Intermediate Class