FORMATIVE BRIEF #5: AUSTRALIA IDENTITY

This brief was a really tough one for me, an international student, who has only been in Australia for 7 months. I've been thinking for a while about what make Australian special and what is their identities. Maybe they will be all about foods or beverage, or landscape ... but I still didn't know what to do with them. I thought I don't have enough experiences and knowledge about this country to do it.
But then when I thought about my experience about this country, I just realized that I should bring my own experience about my feeling toward this country. That would be all about Australians, all about the people that I've met in 7 months I've been here.
I still remembered the very first days when I came here, I felt alone in this photography class in CIT and I was afraid that I couldn't blend in with everyone, just because I look different with them and just because I couldn't have a normal conversation with them in English. I struggled with listening to what teachers speak in class and when I was sitting with other Australian classmates, I felt like I'm a dumb who couldn't understand anything they were talking about.
That was the reason why I didn't talk to anybody in my very first class days. I was afraid coming to class because I was afraid being a dumb, couldn't understand to anyone.
But my Australian friends, they didn't do the same to me.
They came and talked to me, they tried to make friend to me and I knew, they only tried to make me feel easier when I'm the only one who came from another country. I appreciated their kindness a lot. They did actually helped me feel easier coming to class every week. I proud to tell everyone: "My classmates are very nice and friendly."
There once a man who asked me: "Do you have any trouble with Australian here?"
"Why you ask so?" surprisingly I asked him.
"Because some Australians are very racist, especially to Asian, you know" answered him.
"No I haven't had any trouble with Aussies here. They are very nice and friendly to me" I told him.
"You're very lucky though!" he said.
And yes, after that talk with that man, I felt I'm very lucky to know and be friend with some of the most awesome Australians, who I'm so much happy to hang around with.
That's the reason I make them become Australian identities, based on my very own experiences, in this photo:

Thank you everyone, not only Alex, Sammy & Ben, but everyone, for being very nice to me until now. I'm proud to cross path with you guys, who make Australian special.