I Am Not Extraordinary

4 October 2021

Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. — Alan Turing

My earliest memory is one where I am sitting in the front of a moped, with mum at the rear. We are travelling through the streets with groceries in tow and creating multiple lanes where there aren’t any. I am wearing a yellow face mask with a cartoon character emblazoned on it, but can’t recall exactly what that image was. It was a simple memory, and of no particular significance and yet retention of that has been deemed important by the ever mysterious brain. I don’t remember much of my birth to three years living in Taiwan. I imagine it was a time filled with love and not much else material. I reminisce on the scrumptious smells wafting throughout endless streets and the cacophony of sounds echoing through night markets. I wonder about the details of my home in Taiwan in Xin Dian. What colour were the walls? Did we have a car? How did we sleep?  It’s funny how we all say ‘oh how simple life was back then’ but at every life stage, that thought crosses one’s mind. Perhaps it is the beauty of hindsight that allows us to see the bigger picture behind what was. The very nature of hindsight requires that an afterthought has occurred, and is perhaps why we can never apply the same wise eyes to the present. That doesn’t detract from the experience though, maybe it adds to the beauty contained within our memories.

In 1997, we immigrated to Australia. Mum and dad were required to put down a large sum of money to the Treasury to guarantee our spot here – think of it as a bond payment if you will. It was refundable after a period of six or so years but raising the capital to begin with was no easy feat. Dad was an Air Force pilot in Taiwan in his late teens and all throughout his twenties (perhaps into his thirties). I always thought that he had the coolest job in the world, and it’s true what they say about dads being your heroes. I imagined him in his ‘la ba kou’, with his terrible fashion sense which has carried into his sixties, going on his first date with mum. A strong willed woman in her own right, she has been the heart and anchor of the family from day dot. I bet she rejected him the first time round – got to keep the lads on their toes right? It’s a story I’m yet to hear in full so for now, I’ll create my own imaginative rendition of their courting days.

The first few years in Australia were hard on our family. We were made up of three young kids and two intelligent parents whose hard earned qualifications carried no weight here. Australia wasn’t so multicultural back then, and so mum and dad looked for an area with a larger number of Asian people – Strathfield. Understandably one would look to a place of familiarity for comfort in a strange place. Mum started taking English lessons through the local church where she became good friends with this black lady. I wish I could recall more about her apart from her face, but I was only four at the time with nothing but old photos to guide me. Her face was kind and her spirit was warm and welcoming. She ended up being one of mum’s first friends here. I wonder what became of her?

Whenever I look back to this period of our family’s life, I am in immense awe of my parents’ courage to leave their life in Taiwan, and start anew in a foreign country with what little they had, and three young kids in tow. Their perseverance in the face of adversity has inspired me throughout my life, particularly as I make my way through my twenties. Imagine being so highly qualified in your field and unable to get a job with a pay rate commensurate with your experience just because of a language barrier. Imagine risking it all in hopes of chasing a better life for yourself and your kids. What strong will and determination that must have taken.