International Captains Lunar New Year Reflections

Lunar New Year was celebrated worldwide, from 31 January to 15 February, by many Asian families. Being international students and being thousands of kilometres away from home, we were unable to celebrate such a special event with our families. Oxley Christian College blessed the international students with a well-thought-out substitute Lunar New Year celebration. 

For the 15 days of Lunar New Year, the Student Reception in the Admin Office was beautifully decorated with red, the theme colour of Lunar New Year. On the walls, there were small lanterns, couplets and banners.

On Friday 4 February, some students kindly sacrificed their class time to help prepare mouth-watering dumplings. 

Before we served the international students with dumplings, they wrote their wishes on a poster. Many different words and symbols quickly filled the wish board. There were Vietnamese, Chinese and English languages written. The poster was soon filled with everyone's wishes and hopes for the New Year. All the students seemed to have a blast at this activity.

The lunch was held in the outdoor dining area which was being dressed up like a child who just got his New Year costume. There were baskets of flowers, sauces, and drinks. And of course, the delicious dumplings. There were chives and pork dumplings, chicken and mushroom dumplings, and Chinese cabbage and pork dumplings. Everyone chose their favourite fillings. 

As international captains, we were very pleased that Oxley organised such an activity for all international students. Being away from home was challenging for many international students. Because of COVID-19, many students have not had the opportunity to return to their hometown for more than two years. We really enjoyed the small, meaningful gathering. It was great that the celebration was not abandoned. We felt like we were back home, even if it was for a little while. This celebration certainly brought warmth and good memories. 

Anna Nguyen and Link Fan

International Captains