ISP News

Big congregations to our international students, Sheila FENG (Yr11) and Aurora WANG (Yr11), took part in the International Student Public Speaking Competition on 11th October. This annual event is organized by Northcote High School. The competition is primarily a showcase for the incredible skills of our international students. It is hopefully an opportunity for them to meet and inspire each other. There were 11 students from 6 schools participated in the online event this year. Our girls proudly represented MGC with strong confidence and charisma in front of the camera, which resulted in Aurora winning the 2nd place.

Special thanks to Ms O’Connell for coaching and support.

Every ending is a new beginning 

Shuning (Aurora) WANG 

Life always changes. When some things change, some things end. And that is where we start a new chapter, that is where the first page comes in…

Well, with that seemingly “profound” concept to start with, it might’ve sounded like those “changes in life” are overwhelming and those “endings” are hard to overcome, (which they really can be sometimes). But first of all, I would like to use some very simple examples to show you how normal those “endings” are in our daily life. 

As we know for a fact, every movie in this world has an ending. Sometimes they are the happy ones, while other times they tend to be unexpected. Indeed, everyone loves to see the happy one, (you know, the happily ever after when the prince finds Cinderella’s crystal shoes, or when Romeo and Juliet have their first kiss). We expect there is the next series, the third, the fourth, better if it never ends. On the other hand, when the ending fails to be what we were expecting, we are often reluctant to accept it and instead tell ourselves, “This is not the end, right?” As humans, we hope good endings never end and bad endings never happen. Yes, more often or not, we refuse to accept it when things come to their end. 

Without noticing, the cycle of endings and beginnings is something we will inevitably experience. The end of a mother’s pregnancy means the birth of a new child. When we reach the end of our infancy, as a toddler we begin to explore the world. Time flies and before we know it, we’ve already reached the end of our childhood. Then comes our adolescence, adulthood, mid age, retirement, and maybe the discovery of the afterlife … In fact, whether we like it or not, life is simply the cycle of starts and ends. There are ends we don’t desire but avoiding them definitely isn’t the solution.  

As international students, we can’t be more familiar with “endings”. We left the place where we used to live and set our sails for a new country on our own. And I know for everyone, especially when we are settling in a new environment, it’s common to get tangled from changes. When plans are changed, we may feel anxious and worry about things like, “Will I settle well in my new school? Can I get along with my new homestay? When do I get a chance to see my family again?” And just when everything seems to be going well, we are struck by the fear of, “What if it all suddenly ends? What if I screw up and lose everything?” … And for me, it’s always been hard to say my “goodbyes” and it’s okay to feel that way. So, you see, we are afraid of losing things while we have them; and by the time they are gone, we then hesitate to accept new changes. But eventually, what we should do is really just three simple things: remain calm, let go, and move on… 

There’s always going to be things in life that are holding us back. They are the mistakes we have made in the past, the hesitation of jumping out of our comfort zone, or the fear of losing things that we once possessed… But one thing we have to know is that: it doesn’t matter how the past ends. The past is just a stepping stone, not a millstone. What really matters is how we get over it and start again! A new year, a new season, a new month, or even every new second is an opportunity for us to let free of the past and cherish the present for a bright future. So, try to say goodbye to the past and live your best life today! People say, “The world is full of lonely people afraid to make the first move.” And I believe, those people who step out from the past and embrace the new beginning are the reasons why this world keeps thriving in the wake of new challenges. Most importantly, we must make our own life count! 

Just like my parents always say, “Every farewell is for our better reunion”. The terminal stop of the train means the departure stop of its opposite destination.

And although we’ve reached the end of my speech, I hope this end will carry the opening of your never-ending delightful new journey!

Extra info：

The start of Spring comes from the end of the Winter. You begin a new book when the old one is finished. 

“Yesterday is a history, tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present!”