Study Melbourne partnered with Melbourne Writers Festival 2017 to host a storytelling competition for international students. ’Magical Melbourne’ by Yasmin Tiemi Narimatsu de Brito Moraes from Brazil won in the English Language Training category.

Magical Melbourne

If my life was a book, I would believe that my life before I came to Melbourne was a preface. In the preface, it will introduce how lucky I was with my family and friends. After I graduated, I worked but something was missing to complete my own life. The moment when I turned the page and the first chapter began was after I was encouraged by my parents to go abroad and we decided together that my opportunities to improve my English had arrived.

I would like the page at the beginning of my first chapter to be as colourful as the autumn in Melbourne. I could go to the Botanical Gardens and see around me many trees which were losing their leaves. In compensation, the floor was gaining a blanket of leaves.
Certainly, there would be a world map with a special paper. In this map, I could point out the countries where my friends are from. I have made friends who are amazing and I will never forget them in all my life.

In the next pages, there will be a gallery of pictures and phrases typical of ‘Aussie’ culture, for example “No worries” and “How’s going, mate?” and “Magical coffee”. I always listen to these expressions and I really realise that I could be living a dream so I love listening to them in the streets and in the stores. For the pictures, I would like to choose one photograph of a kangaroo and me. This photograph will make me remember about Gumbuya Park where I fed kangaroos and I could see koalas and more native animals and birds. It was an unforgettable day.

I would include how much I have discovered about my own life. I am more confident, not only about my English language skills but nowadays I know that I am able to do whatever I want wherever I go. Being in Melbourne made me believe in the strength within me. The book of my life is still a work in progress and I have many blank sheets to fill. Melbourne is the beginning of my journey and I can see many possible ways to follow.