Home

Excellence Award in the 'Step Write Up 2011' competition

Every time she opened her chapped lips all I heard was white noise.
“Back in Vietnam they didn’t have...” or “I remember the Vietnamese landscape, it was beautiful...”I never understood why she created all this hype. What was wrong with Australia? Whenever grandma reminisced about the exciting atmosphere of the Saigon Market, I asked her what about Paddy’s Market? She would talk about the yellow blooms of the Mai trees in Vietnam, but what about the golden wattle? She would simply sigh and say “It just isn’t the same”. That was where our conversation ended.
She rarely left the safety of the house where she had padded her surroundings with memories of Vietnam. But we did convince her to join us for barbeque at Garrison Point for a family picnic. As I nonchalantly flipped the sausages, I could hear the kookaburras. Since I was a child, their laughter had always lit me up with glee. I wanted to laugh with them but looking over at Grandma, I knew that she didn’t feel the same way. Instead she probably found them insulting for they were laughing at her; mocking her as if she was a new species being introduced to the foreign environment.
***
“Lana, this trip back to Vietnam is very important for your grandma. It’s been over twenty years since she’s been back.”
I looked over at the frail woman two seats away. I expected her to be beaming with joy and chattering away about her beloved Vietnam. But she sat there silently, occasionally staring out the plane window.
***
Stepping out of Saigon airport, I was hit by a heat wave that enveloped my body. I wheezed as my lungs struggled with the humidity. This was not home. We piled our bags into the back of Uncle Tan’s car and I stared in awe as the motor bikes weaved in an out and around our car at the. My uncle laughed at me when I reached for the seatbelt.
“How can you not wear seatbelts? If we were back in Australia, we would be breaking the law!”
We drove past the market and with the windows down, I could hear the shouts and bartering of market goers. The familiar yet foreign mother tongue melted into an outlandish amalgam. As we passed the food markets, a strong pungent smell drifted through the window. My nose burned as it fought the overwhelming combination of fish sauce, garlic and spices. I guess this was when I fully understood grandma and her emotions whilst she was in Australia. I had only been in this foreign place for a few minutes and was already longing for home. This was what Grandma had to endure for the last twenty years. Being so caught up in this unpleasant situation, I glanced over at Grandma. She too was looking out the car window and when she did turn around; her grey eyes had lit up. They glistened and sparkled with tears. She was home.

FOLLOW US


25

Write4Fun.net was established in 1997, and since then we have successfully completed numerous short story and poetry competitions and publications.
We receive an overwhelming positive feedback each year from the teachers, parents and students who have involvement in these competitions and publications, and we will continue to strive to attain this level of excellence with each competition we hold.

KEEP IN TOUCH

Stay informed about the latest competitions, competition winners and latest news!