“This is a photo of me and my friends at a party in Beijing, which I went to when I visited Beijing for the first time since being back in Australia, in April 2011. There is also a photo of me when I went shopping with my friends at “the village” in April 2011. I am the blonde one with blue glasses, long straight hair and a stripy tshirt.
The Poem I wrote (below) is called home, and it’s about my home place and how I felt when I arrived in Beijing, and how I felt when I left Beijing. I hope you enjoy it!” Lyndsey Hipgrave
Lyndsey Hipgrave and friends at a party in Beijing April 2011
Lyndsey shopping with friends at 'The Village' Beijing
Home
I got off the plane on the second of March
And knew that I would not like this place
Cold, dry, glum and sour
I knew I would go through a phase
School was boring
Teachers were mean
The days were painfully long
But that all changed
As after the rain
The sun came out and shone
I started high school in 2009
And started to make many friends
Fun, loving, warm and kind
I loved Beijing to the end
Beautiful language
“Oh! Your Chinese very good!”
The markets, cheap bargains were fun
I really hated to leave my home
My nest, my roof, and my bun
Recently I discovered
That I was moving again
To a faraway place called Melbourne
Unhappy, sad, angry and hurt
It was burning me and burning through all of them
Yemi, Iris, Thibault and Laura
All good friends I was leaving
But what could I possibly do to get through
The “moving away again” demon?
So I prayed and prayed
Every single day
That all would finally be good
Safe, sound, home at last
Just like it always should!
I started my school, as you can see
I could say that I fit in quite well
But I miss my old school
In Beijing, you see
My friends and my dad as well!
Hopefully one day I will be able to say
Which place I now belong
Melbourne, Beijing, Jakarta, Hanoi?
And then I shall finally be strong
Lyndsey in Melbourne with her French tutor, Myriam who bought a copy of 'Slurping Soup'. Lyndsey's brother D'Arcy and sister Diana also feature in the book.