A DREAM COME TRUE

UNEDITED SAMPLE LITERARY ARTICLE
By Jezel Christine Nolasco Quevada
IV–Madame Marie Curie


As a child, it has always been my desire to see God’s awesome creation and marvel at his works around the world. This dream started to manifest since I was five, when all I ever hoped for was to enter Atlantica and be with Ariel, to see the huge Palace where Cinderella danced with her Prince, to get a glimpse of the spinning wheel that pricked Aurora’s finger and to be with Alice in Wonderland.

I thought my dream came true when my parents told us that our family was going to Disneyland, in the United States of America. We all jumped with much excitement and joy when we learned about the news. The trip will surely be memorable for the three of us since it will be our chance to see our favorite cartoon characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Tigger, Pooh and Donald Duck and also to experience the best rides of our lives. Everyday, we always talked about that much awaited trip. Our excitement didn’t last long. Two weeks before our scheduled flight, my youngest brother got mumps. My parents told our travel agency about it and they said that we cannot join anymore because it is contagious and since Jeus and I were exposed to the sickness and chances are, we may just be put on hold at the quarantine when we arrive at their airport after they find it later. We were all very, very disappointed and I blamed Jairus for having the disease. I then realized it was not his fault. After all, he was also expecting to be in that vacation.

After a year, dad and mom qualified for another trip. This time it was in Australia. As a reward for being the top in our class, they told me that I was going to join them. It was summer of year 2003, months after my second grade. I can’t explain what I felt back then. I was so excited that I barely slept nights before the flight. Many questions came popping out in my head like: “How is it going to be like when you are in a foreign land?”, “Is there a difference between our country and Australia?"

Soon enough, my long wait was over. The day I’ve long been waiting for finally came. Dad, mom and I went to the Airport that Sunday morning, April 2003, together with their Company’s Top Awardees. My curiosity aroused the moment my feet step on to Ninoy Aquino International Airport. I asked everything I found strange to my sight.

After hours of waiting, I finally, YES! finally, had set my foot to Brisbane, Australia (our first stop). After we fixed our things at the Mariott Hotel, we walked a few minutes and played volleyball at the beautiful and clean beach of “Surfer’s Paradise” where we saw a lot of people who were enjoying at the beach. Many great surfers were there too. It was pretty much like our famous Boracay but much cleaner. I also noticed a lot of unusual things like: their vehicles have their stirring wheel placed at the right side; their huge buses have clean and comfortable rest rooms inside. Of course, my parents also brought me to my favorite Mcdonald’s and KFC where I pampered myself with their much bigger French fries and burgers.

During the trip, I met an interesting gal named Hannah. She was the daughter of mom’s friend, Tita Tess. At first, I was afraid to talk to her because she might be snobbish since she was a famous child-actress back then. My impression was wrong because she’s such a nice girl and we became good friends making our trip more enjoyable.

Then we went to Gold Coast Movie World, home of the Warner Bros. where I saw my all-time favorite cartoon characters. Tweety and Bugz, Marvin the Martian, The Powerpuff Girls, Johnney Bravo were the like. Superman, Batman and Robin were also there and oh, I even saw Manilyn Monroe’s impersonator posing. I was fascinated by how they make their movies with special effects. Their theme park was also fantastic and the rides, they were thrilling! We also experienced how to be in the cave of Batman which seemed to be so real because it has simulators. One unforgettable moment was our ride in Batman’s car which was equipped with his personal gears! It was surely the ride of my life!

Australia’s beauty defies description. It is a well-developed country with concerned and responsible citizens who work hand-in-hand to protect and develop God’s gift to them. You see, their zoos are very clean and you can actually interact with the animals. We were able to milk the cows, to shave the sheep’s fur, to watch baby kangaroos come out of its mother and played with them! We fed those colorful birds in our palms and shook hands with the koalas!

They said, you’re never into Australia if you had not seen the famous Opera House in Sydney so, we did not miss that. We had a sumptuous dinner while cruising around and marveling at the beauty of the place that made it known around the world.

That journey was long over. In fact, I could not remember all the details anymore, but as I grow older, I know that it was more than just a trip. I could not grasp back then what my parents meant when they told me that there was so much to learn about that trip and it was not just an ordinary vacation. Back home, as I compared what I saw in Australia with what we have in the Philippines, I realized that we have so much to improve in our country. But basically, we have to learn first to love our country and take care of this beautiful place which is God’s wonderful gift to the Filipinos. We have to work hand in hand to protect the animals and the plants and to propagate and not to destroy them. I believe there is much to be done, but if we will just do our share, in a little way we can make our country a better place to live.

My trip to Australia serves as the inspiration that burns my passion for my beloved country and our people. And as I youth, I will do my best to serve as a catalyst in turning the Philippines another “Australia” in the making!