(ANS - Melbourne) - Matthew Kitichai Saisawang is a young Salesian in formation from Thailand.  Since 31 March 2015 he has been resident at the Salesian College of Theology at  Clifton Hill, in Melbourne, Australia. In this testimony he speaks about the difficulties but above all the good aspects of his formation abroad. He says, "It can be useful to me in my future pastoral work as a Salesian with young people."

When I first arrived in Australia, I could not understand a word. Even though I had been learning English for many years, the Australian accent sounded very strange. The second challenge has to do with the Australian culture, in particular, equality. While I was studying English at ACU, some of the students would address the teacher by his first name, which was strange to me. However, I have learnt that Aussies are uncomfortable with differences in status and hence idealize treating everyone equally. A final challenge has been that the ways of greeting and farewell are slightly different from Thai culture. The first time I had to shake hands or hug someone as a greeting, I felt shy and uncomfortable. Now I realize that this is part of Western culture.

My focus was to study English in the first year, so I could not do as much pastoral work as I was used to doing in Thailand. On the other hand, I was grateful to have the opportunity twice a month of going to the Youth Centre in Brunswick, where I learnt something of the young Aussie lifestyle, played soccer with the kids and practised my English in speaking and listening to them. From this, I could see a different way of thinking between the young people of Australia and Thailand, which I believe will be useful for me in my future as a Salesian working with young people.

The most joyful and happy moments of my life have come from living in the Salesian community at Clifton Hill. There are now 11 confreres from many countries and different backgrounds, but we all share the same mission. In my opinion, I am very lucky to have the opportunity to learn and to share in different cultural values. I have learnt many things from the Aussie Salesians, for example; Aussie English (e.g. Idioms, slang), traditional foods (e.g. pavlova, BBQ) and Australian history (e.g. Indigenous history and Colonialism). I have also come to learn about Timorese, Vietnamese, Malagasy and Chinese cultures. In this international community we share a common family spirit.

Published 17/02/2016