» Read the Mandarin version of this story

Author: Jeffrey Li
Storyteller: Jeffrey Li
Community Language School: Wollongong Mandarin School
Main School: to be added

I like them both.

When I first came to Australia I was only two and a half years old. When I went to my pre-school, I didn’t understand what the teachers and children said to me, but I was still very happy in my pre-school.

Then when I was three, I went back to China for one year. The pre-school in China was very different to Australia’s. Every day we were taught a lot of things: writing, counting, mathematics, songs, poems, art, keyboard playing and Chinese traditional writing. I was busy. Once we had a big party for 6.1 international kid’s day. We had dancing, singing and competitions. It was an exciting day.

Before I was the age to start school I came back to Wollongong. One day my best friend Jack asked me:” Why is your hair black?” When I got home I asked my parents. They told me, Australia is the home to many people from over 100 countries. In my school, many students come from different parts of the world. Our hair colour, skin colour and mother languages are different. We go very well together.

From China to Australia, I think they are different. I like them both. I’m now Australian.