Spring

Growing up in a tropical country left me ignorant of the changing seasons temperate climates experienced. I spent a good 16 years of my life idolizing the four seasons. The sweet scent of spring flowers, the warmth of summer and its fruits, the beautiful orange hues brought about by autumn and the pureness of snow in the winter. All my life, I had only known two types of weather. Rain and sun. I didn't experience much changes in my diet due to the season, with no strawberries to snack on, no squash to roast. Everything I knew about the four seasons came from books, movies, TV and anecdotes from friends.
I remember asking my aunt, who lived in Australia, what her favourite season was. Was it spring, because of the beautiful flowers blooming everywhere? Or winter, when you get to experience snow, make a snowman, snowballs and snow angels?(I have since learnt that it doesn't snow every temperate country, especially not in the part of Australia she or I live in.) Or autumn, because you could rake up all the leaves and toss them in the air? Or summer, where you can go to the beach and surf?
I spent my entire childhood fantasizing about what I never had. I remember going to Hong Kong for summer once, and it rained for our entire trip there. Is this summer? I wondered to myself. I went to Taiwan in winter and it never snowed. I went to Korea and had the chance to ski, but not the chance to experience persistent falling snow. Then I went Japan and was fortunate enough to experience falling snow, and realised that it wasn't as magical as it once seemed. Don't get me wrong, it was a magical moment, but I realised that it could be frustrating to have lots of snow because snow is essentially frozen rain which lands and your clothes and melts and makes your clothes damp. Then I came to Brisbane, Australia, where I've learnt that summer is 6 months long and everything else is squished into a tighter schedule.
I still remember the young me, reading books and imagining what it would be like to experience the four seasons. I remember yearning to travel, to experience what I never had, to see the world. I remember dreaming of studying in France, purely because I wanted to learn French. I remember my yearning to study in an overseas university, a dream that I am blessed to be able to fulfil. Sometimes I wish I could meet the young me, for I have much to tell her. Oh little one, there is so much the world has in store for you. And I promise, it will be worth the wait.