When my mum was 10 years old, she migrated to Australia from Jakarta, leaving behind the only home she had ever known. She arrived in a country that felt completely unfamiliar. The language sounded different, the food tasted different, and the people behaved in ways she did not yet understand. Everything that had once felt normal to her suddenly changed.
Her parents worked long hours to build a stable life for the family, so they were often busy. Without constant guidance at home, she had to grow up quickly. She learned to make her own decisions, solve her own problems, and take responsibility for herself at a young age. Sometimes she worried that she might make the wrong choices, especially in a new country where she was still learning the rules. Even so, she always tried her best and reminded herself that every challenge was part of her journey.
School was not easy at the start, as she was one of the only Asian students in her class or even the entire school and this made her stand out. She often felt lonely. Because she could not speak English fluently, some students teased her for being different from them, while others excluded her from games and conversations.. As a result she could not express herself the way she wanted to . Despite this, she chose not to focus on what she could not control. Instead, she felt grateful to be able to learn education and slowly worked on improving her English every day.
Everything began to change when she met a girl named Sharon. They quickly became close friends, and for the first time, my mum felt truly accepted. As her English improved, she gained natural humour and joy and she was able to express herself, she made more friends and nearly forgot about all the other hardships she faced in the same school.
One day, during a school assembly, the principal announced the prefects for the following year. There was not even a single thought in her head that she would be chosen as one Then she heard, “Our next prefect is… Yvonne Tjandra!” Her heart skipped a beat. The same girl who had once been teased for being different was now chosen by her peers to represent the school. Becoming a prefect taught her that no matter who you are or where you come from, you can always make a difference — no matter how big or small.