Sunset Safari

HOLDING MY 7mm-08 CALIBRE RIFLE, I was crouching, walking slowly and moving quietly through the thick eucalyptus woodland.  I’d deliberately stop to look around and would proceed carefully while stepping on top of a pile of soaked fallen leaves and branches.  I was trying to avoid disturbing the magpies that must’ve been seeking refuge in the warmth of the canopy after the heavy autumn rain earlier this afternoon.  Having been exposed to quite a few hunting safaris in Africa I knew that birds taking off would scare the game animals away.

She was following right behind me, dolled up in my other pair of camo-foliage suit—awkwardly mimicking my steps and posture.  I extended my right arm and using my palm, I gave her a signal to stop walking.  Then I peered through the gum tree branches hoping to see a herd of deer but what I saw was a vast and lush lucerne paddock on the other side of the fence and a massive flock of sheep grazing farther afield.  There were no deer...

Though obscured by a few streaks and bunches of hovering clouds, I knew that the sun was setting behind.  The sky above the western horizon had been gradually painted with magical shades of pastel orange and black—a beautiful remnant of that watery vapour that decided to keep sailing up there after the rain.

“James, can we sit down for a moment?  I feel so exhausted.”  

We crossed the fence, and sat next to each other on a small bed of rock.  I laid my rifle down beside me and wrapped my arms around her.  She rested her head on my shoulder.  Underneath the mud-covered sole of my hunting boots I could feel the drenched soil beneath the dewy carpet of lucerne.

A flock of wild ducks instantly flew low over the man-made canal next to the paddock—creating some moving silhouettes against the final glow of the day.  Then she broke the bad news to me!

“I only have six months to live; my oncologist discussed the test result with me the other day.” 

I was lost for words.  I didn’t want to lose her!

I looked straight into her eyes and I noticed the gleam of the scarlet sky reflecting off her pooling tears.

A cool, gentle breeze swept through.

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Nine Years in the Making

TODAY MARKS HIS NINTH YEAR in Australia.  It was 8:45 AM, 16^th of January 2007 when a China Airlines’ plane carrying him and the other passengers from Manila and Taipei touched down at Brisbane Airport.  He was very excited, to be honest, to experience another country (it’s his first time overseas) but at the same time equally anxious about his future as a piggery farm worker in next four years. 

Others might have thought that he gave up his job for the sake of the dazzling silver Down Under… Little did they know that leaving something he was so passionate about was never easy, and that he decided to do it to gather some more mosses to cover him in pursuing his dream of becoming a globally-competent pig vet.  He was looking forward to that entire four years of pig-production experience under temperate condition—hoping  that it would be an additional feather in his cap.       

His first day at work, the first week, first month and first year in that job were never easy.  His brawn was not enough, and fighting against the emotional torture of performing all the menial tasks in the piggery farm was seriously harder than he thought it would be.  But he believed he was once an achiever—and this thought had aided him to keep going; he didn’t want to just simply quit and consider himself a loser Down Under.  

A performance appraisal stating that his knowledge of the job was unsatisfactory had upset him!  So out of self-respect, he bravely decided to leave the piggery, and was so blessed to get a job offer to work in a poultry farm in South Australia. 

Despite the scorching hot and dry summers, his days in the poultry farm were relatively manageable compared to his previous job.  He had to stand up against the dusty and itchy environment, had to work at midnight—even during wintertime, though… But he had gradually learned to focus on the brighter side of things.  He kept on traveling interstate to explore the country and he had started to discover more about Australia and its people out of these short trips.  The original plan of going back to Philippines upon the expiry of his working visa had changed to targeting to get the residency so he could eventually settle in this country. 

He missed his family and friends ‘back home’ (and he was aware that they terribly missed him, too) but there were times when the sacrifices of living-apart-together could undeniably fill-up the pecuniary necessities they had in this life.  Regular visits at an average of every couple of years were, of course, not enough to compensate the memories they could’ve made together but he (and he believed, they) had eventually accepted the fact that his fate must be shining on this distant shores, and as what the song goes, ‘they have no right to make him stay…’  He started meeting people, and had made lasting friendship with the real people he met along the way.

BEING a human, he desired to continuously grow personally and professionally.  He envied his friends who showed happiness and satisfaction out of their employment and he hated himself for being too ambitious!  To have been given the opportunity to run the poultry farm operation had, somehow, made him feel vindicated from that distressing work-performance assessment he received from his previous job but he knew that he could do something more than just looking after a million of growing birds to feed Australia and the world. 

The Australian residency he'd been aiming for was granted and after a year of shedding more drops of sweat, tears and blood, he eventually became eligible to take the Australian citizenship oath—which he humbly did with sincerity.  Days had become brighter since then, dirt roads turned into concrete road surfaces that obviously paved his way into who he is and what he possesses right now. 

Well, there are no suburban properties under his name at the moment, no personal vehicles parked in the garage of his rented unit and no hefty bank account.  On his ninth year Down Under, all he got are mere document pieces signed by dignitaries; plus, of course, a healthier physique, a sound mind, a stronger faith and a happier heart that loves and being loved.


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