Celebration of Mid- Autumn Festival, 2020

The Mid-Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival is an important traditional festival in Chinese culture. The meaning of the festival is gathering and family reunion. Due to COVID-19 restrictions this year, our International students were unable to travel back to China due to the border closure, meaning most of the parents have not seen their beloved sons for nearly a year.

The College prepared a gift pack including a mooncake, an apple, and a handwritten card for each of the International students in Australia. The round mooncake symbolises prosperity and reunion of the whole family on this special day. In some parts of China people also give red apples to others, to wish for their safety and peace. This is because in Chinese the word for apple (pingguo) sounds very similar with the word for safety (ping’an). Each offshore student also received a special present delivered to the door – mooncake with ice-cream topping. 

Each international student took the opportunity to write a letter home and send it on Moon Festival day. Our International parents were laughing with tears while reading the precious letter. Please see two examples below:

Dear father and mother,

Time flies. We haven’t been able to see each other for 8 months now. I experienced so much during the 8 months. In this sometimes lonely and helpless overseas learning and living life, kinship is the most enduring motivation. Kinship is the sincerest company; kinship is the clearest guidepost. Under the obstruct of the pandemic of the last 8 months, we cannot see each other and now is the Mid-Autumn Festival, as like Wei Wang’s poem “On festive occasions more than ever one thinks of one’s dear ones far away”. How much I miss you cannot be expressed by a single sentence or two. It is like an endless ocean, uncountable.

It is you who look after me for 17 years, sending me to study overseas so I can enjoy a life other people can’t enjoy. This has made my life full of variety. Therefore, on the Mid-Autumn Festival, I wrote a family letter to you, though not many words, to express how much I miss you and love you.

The pandemic has stopped me to come to see you, but it cannot stop me to miss you.

Dad, mum, I love you!

Johnny Liu Year 11

Dear dad and mum,

My exams have finished recently. Japanese speaking exam also finished. I feel ok just the 4U math is still too difficult, maybe I am not smart enough. I hope I can get a 90 in the HSC.

My life in Australia is pretty good. I eat well, having a lot of friends and playing games, not lonely at all. Of course, I keep studying so please do not worry for me. To me, as long as you are doing well, then it is great as I can do so many things myself.

Please do not be too tired, go to bed early, do not always watch Tiktok – I am talking about you. You know how important a good health is.

Buy some mooncake to enjoy. A sense of ritual is a good thing in life!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Hope everything is well at home!

Alan Meng Year 12

Meanwhile, there are 11 offshore International students unable to return to the College who have continued their learning journey via online lessons. 

On this special Moon Festival occasion, our International parents asked the International Office to prepare gift packs as a token of their appreciation for their son’s teachers here in Australia. Included were a mooncake, an apple, a handwritten card and a bunch of fresh flowers for these dedicated teachers.

On behalf of all the offshore families, we wish you and your family safety and prosperity forever.  

International Office