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2020 and New Beginnings

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Cream text and some cream bokeh on a black background. Text reads 2020 Happy New Year.

Welcome to 2020, and Happy New Year!
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

2019 in brief

I’m not sorry to see the back of 2019, but overall it’s been a really good year for me. First there was the wonderful cruise down the south coast of Western Australia with my parents. Just magical! It was also the final year of my degree, so all along the end was in sight, which made a huge psychological difference. In the previous year it had felt like my studies would never end—or, if they did, it would be too far in the future to make a difference to our immediate financial situation. So in the first half of 2019 I continually reminded myself this was the last year of my studies, even though I could barely believe it since I was not due to finish until early 2020, which still seemed a long way off.

Then I started applying for APS graduate programs, and in order to be eligible I needed to finish my degree by the end of 2019, so I took on an extra study workload. This added a lot of pressure, but also made me feel I was doing something practical and positive to secure a good future for hubby and myself. I was aware that my grades might drop as a result, but grades were only really important at the beginning of the application process, and a drop wouldn’t matter (in theory, anyway) if I got one of the jobs I was applying for.

Today my grades were finalised and posted, and I ended up with 3 x HDs for the last study period, and a very healthy CWA overall. It could have been a lot worse!

A job—in Canberra!

And the increased workload paid off, because I did snare a graduate role in the APS. I am so chuffed. Who would have thought anyone would want old, deaf me? I’ll be joining the communications team of a government department in Canberra, starting 6 February. So I have to say the year was a success for me and I have regained a lot of confidence that was lost over the last few (extremely difficult) years.

In addition, in 2019 hubby started a new job, which eased our financial situation hugely. It’ll be hard to give up the money to go to Canberra for my low-paying graduate role, but I feel sure (most of the time!) it’s for the best. I am immensely looking forward to starting my own new job. On one level I’m terrified, and especially stressed about how I’ll manage with my hearing—something that I always have to contend with and that never ceases to cause stress in one way or another. But I am really looking forward to putting into practice everything I’ve learned in my studies. I know I will also learn many new and interesting things and meet many new and interesting people. It will be really good for me.

So I begin 2020 feeling encouraged and positive. I’m sad to be leaving beautiful Perth and my family again, but am quietly optimistic about the future. Now, to get the move over and done with…

I wish you all a wonderful year in 2020!

The Griffith Award for Academic Excellence

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Last week’s email from Griffith University hit my inbox exactly as did the hundreds before it, almost all irrelevant to me and usually advertising an on-campus event or initiative. As a remote student merely picking up a few electives towards my BA in Professional Writing and Publishing through Curtin University, I tend to be quick with my delete key. This occasion was no exception; the subject line was something about an award. Yawn. Nope, I’m not applying…

I don’t know what made me look twice, but whatever it was I’m grateful it did. The subject line in fact read:

‘Congratulations, you have earned a Griffith Award for Academic Excellence’

Er, what? Naturally, I had to read this more than once. I checked the recipient. Yep, it was definitely me. Sent to my Griffith email address. Hrm.

I read on:

I am delighted to inform you that you have been awarded The Griffith Award for Academic Excellence in recognition of your studies in Cross Institutional Study. This will be annotated on your Academic Transcript … This award, which recognises your consistent achievements this year, places you in the top 5% of students across the university.

And I have been presented with a shiny new badge as proof:

The Griffith Award for Academic Excellence badge

My first reaction was disbelief. My second was to laugh. I carried my laptop to hubby in his study. ‘Read this!’ I chuckled away madly.

Bemused, he read it. Then he beamed at me. ‘That’s brilliant!’ he said. ‘Well done, love!’

Brilliant? It was funny — wasn’t it? It’s not like I have been academically excellent, after all.

But hang on. Have I?

Impostor syndrome

I may not have been particularly happy with my grades to date — they are far from excellent as far as I’m concerned — but if I am in the top 5% of students across the uni and have won an award for academic excellence as a result, it would seem I haven’t exactly been doing badly.

It’s a little difficult to get my head around, to be honest. I’m that person who tragically failed her university studies as a school leaver. But hey, they gave me this award so I’ll take it. I may feel like an impostor, but apparently I am the real deal.

So I’ve put it out on Facebook and Twitter, and blogged it (see?!) but just between you and me, I’ve been cackling to myself the whole time.

An excellent start to 2019

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For the most part I’ve been head down, you-know-what up for the last few months (and, indeed, years) and am relieved to be entering into the final year of my Professional Writing and Publishing studies. It feels like it has been a long, hard, slog, not least because there are no breaks between study periods when studying through Open Universities Australia. Not even a break for Christmas. It does get wearying, with never so much as a single day when I don’t feel I should be doing something for uni. Like now. I have two major assignments due in the next week, so here I am writing on my blog. (I’m telling myself I’m just getting warmed up. *cough*) Nevertheless, the end is in sight. Whew!

Cruising along

We had a wonderful break in routine at the beginning of January when my parents took us on a 5-night cruise on the Astor, down the south coast of Western Australia to Esperance and Albany. Such a wonderful experience! (And I refused to entertain thoughts of the uni work that was piling up while I was away.) By some bizarre quirk of fate, a writing and horsey friend I’d met on Facebook, Colleen, was on the same cruise. Coincidence? It was so good to spend time with her and get to know the person behind all the text messages of more than three years. She was on the cruise with a lovely friend and it made the holiday extra-special for us to have them there.

Looking across the bow of the ship out to the horizon.

Leaving Fremantle Harbour.

Esperance is so beautiful. We went on a lovely day tour, taking in Hellfire Bay, Lucky Bay, Twilight Beach and the amazing Cindy Poole Glass Art Gallery.

Esperance looking out to sea from the Rotary Lookout

Looking out to sea from the Rotary Lookout.

A beach with white sand and bright turquoise sea under a grey, cloudy sky.

Lucky Bay

We’re quite familiar with Albany, so had a relaxing day there, splitting our time between pottering around the ship, having coffee with hubby’s brother who lives down there, and wandering around town. Albany was the first white settlement in Western Australia and many aspects of the township reflect that period in its history.

Statue of an Aboriginal warrior

Mokare, man of peace.

A woman in jeans with windblown hair, tinted glasses falling down her nose, and a miserable expression, poses in the stocks near the Albany waterfront

Me in the stocks.

Iconic of the town is the leafy sea dragon, and this mural painted on silos down at the wharf made me really want to go diving…

A group of silos with a leafy sea dragon painted across them at one end

Leafy sea dragon painted on silos at the wharf.

In the evening, we went to the Field of Light art installation at Albany’s Avenue of Honour. Once it was dark it was just beautiful.

Green lights at ground level between two rows of trees.

Field of Lights art installation at the Avenue of Honour.

I’d never been on a cruise before so it was an amazing gift from my parents. They are just the best!

Boorna Waanginy: The Trees Speak

Earlier this week we went to the Boorna Waanginy light show at Kings Park. A celebration of Aboriginal culture, it was part of this year’s Perth Festival and really worthwhile. I unfortunately didn’t hear most of the commentary, but appreciated the beauty and skill of the lighting, especially the 3D aspects. It was a fantastic production, despite it being so crowded it was literally impossible to move at times. Sadly, most of my photos didn’t turn out because of the low light, but here are a few.

An avenue of trees in the darkness with thick crowds on the road ahead. The trees are lit with Aboriginal artwork.

Near the beginning. You can’t really see here, but 3D goannas and other fauna were running up the tree trunks.

Silhouetted shadows of people interacting in the lit-up treetops

Stories in the treetops.

Light tree trunks and branches beamed on the dark treetops

Trees in the trees!

Avenue lit with blue, green and white light

Last leg.

Lanterns arranged in arcs around a lighting display of contributors and their totems

The end. 2,500 lanterns were made by WA school children, and each is a pledge to care for country.

SHRINE by Tim Winton

In another first, last night we went to the local theatre, Melville Theatre. The Melville Theatre Company is currently putting on a production of Tim Winton’s play SHRINE.

Photo of the program cover showing the silhouettes of a man and a woman in a moonlit ocean with the text: Melville Theatre Company Presents by arrangement with Jenny Darling & Associates Shrine by Tim Winton, directed by Kayti Murphy, February-March 2019

SHRINE programme.

It was excellent! The venue was unprepossessing from the outside but looks can be deceiving. There was an atmospheric bar area with dimmed lighting, complimentary port and sherry on offer, and candles on the bar tables.

Bar table with candles, tickets showing the name Taylor and seat numbers A-8 and A-9, and a glass of port

Before the show.

The theatre itself was larger than I’d imagined, and the staff had given us brilliant seats to accommodate my hearing difficulties. Altogether it was impressive for a community theatre.

2019 is off to an excellent start!