To those no longer with us

There was a time in my life, where I didn't have anywhere to go, I didn't have anyone to turn to, and I was a lost sheep in the woods trying to run away from being sheered. This lady on the left (figure 1.), we would call Mummy Fi, she wasn't only a mother to me, but a mother to many young people, who were struggling mentally, emotionally, and physically. Many young people who were displaced, and couldn't go home for whatever reason - some had worse situations than mine.

Her daughter Jade (right) was a high school friend of mine, a few years younger than me, we became siblings, and I along with three or four girls, some same age as Jade, and some younger then her all lived in this old Queenslander house. A house that was made of timber with stain glass windows, built back in the 1800s up until WWII (World War II). A house that was far from white closed walls, you could always feel the fresh air coming through the windows in the morning, the smell of the rain, or the smell of homecooked food.

The house might haven always been opened, but you couldn't get through the front door because you greeted by three dogs, Athena, Karma & Zibby, and a cat called Ruby - the dogs had massive personalities, and sometimes even worked as a team to cause mischief. I always loved having pets, sometimes I would sleep on the couch in the living room, when I wake up there's at least two dogs sleeping near me.

Being at this house taught me a lot, I learnt how to live out of my comfort zone (the houses I grew up in weren't made of timber).

Of course I knew how to adapt, having lived, and travelled around the world with my parents, it was easy to adapt to a new environment - but, when I look back, I was living in luxurious environments with nice white tiled floors, white walls, and it was always quiet. Now I was living in a timber house, with many people, and at times it got so noisy, but this experience changed me in many ways, it helped me become a better person, have a better understanding of life, and of people.

When I tell you many people, it wasn't just me, Mummy Fi, Jade, three dogs, and a cat. No no, we had Jade's Dad, her younger brother, two girls the same age as Jade and another girl who was one of the girl's younger sister. Then at one stage, we had all of us, plus a lady with her seven kids, so it was a busy household. Despite the number of people, it was a house filled with love, laughter, happiness, understanding, openness, kindness, and had lots of compassion.

I was always a quiet person growing up, the household I grew up in was, 'women, and children are to be seen, and not heard'. They were supposed to do the cooking, look after the household, and the kids. Remember, there's nothing wrong with that though, but for me, I wanted something more than that. I always knew I was destined for greatness, destined to make an impact or a change somewhere on the planet. By coming to Jade's house, I was able to understand how I could achieve greatness, and be successful.

When I was younger, I would watch MTV, and I saw this girl band, Destiny’s Child, they looked just like me, and I knew I wanted to do that, be like them, independent, strong and fierce. I later developed a love for singing, which I didn’t know I had the talent for, because I was terrified of singing, and speaking in front of people, let alone stand in front of an audience. But my high school music teacher Mrs. Beams, who in 2018 passed away from cancer. She had taught me throughout high school, she believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself, just like Jade, and her family did.

On the weekends I would go Jade's house, because it was always fun, it wasn't boring, you could talk openly, and freely to adults, which in eastern culture isn't significant to do. Jade's dad, Aaron, taught me all about cars, how to take them apart, and to put them back together - that was greasy but a fun experience.

He was the dad I never had, someone who I could talk to without being judged. He was someone who always had time for you, he'd stop whatever he was doing, he'd listen, and give a response when necessary. If he didn't agree with what you said, he'd always give a reason why he didn't agree. His reason why, would make you understand the process of what you just said.

This family, no matter what the situation was, good or bad, were always there for you. They would teach you about responsibility, and how to do something, and not do it for you, you had to learn how, and why things worked the way they did.

But being at Jade’s house, was similar to being in music class – you had to learn how to read music, which I couldn't do, it just wasn't my thing, but I could listen by ear. Mrs. Beams made sure you pass the class, you had to try, and not give up. Mrs. Beams would go the extra mile for her students, she convinced my dad in a parent-teacher interview to stay in music class, instead of doing business. Mrs. Beams wouldn't hesitate to make a call home, to find out why her students weren't attending class, especially when there was only eight of us in senior music class, she would be very concerned about it, was just a one of a kind teacher really.

Another person who is one of a kind, is my mom who is still living, my mom adopted me when I was baby from a third world country, which has a high rate of poverty. She raised me as her own, because as she was unable to have biological children. I always remember coming home to yummy food after school, even at my birthday parties, my friends would just devour all the food, they never tasted home-cooked Filipino food. So, they never left me any either, my Dad use to say, 'I don't eat because I'm hungry, I eat, because it taste so good!'.

Even when I was sick, my mom always made sure I was eating the right food, drinking the right drinks to help me get better. My mom always spend her time looking after me, she never complained about it, she always find a way. Even if I knew she couldn't afford something financially, she would always figure it out. The one thing that always kept her going, was her faith in God, she believed that no matter the situation, God would always provide a solution, and an outcome. He wouldn't give you anything that you can't handle, there is always a way, and this is why my mom, and all these people I have mentioned are hometown heroes to me.

They were people who never gave up on me, they were people who always had hope, always had faith, always kept fighting for a better outcome. They are people who made a difference not only to my life, but to other people's as well. When yes, they didn't have to do what they did, but they chose to because they cared. We need more people to care about other people, that's why, when you get into a better situation than you last chapter, always pay it forward to help someone else.