International Services

Report on SSA TULIP FESTIVAL TRIP 2009

Tulip Festival

On the 10th October 2009, SSA brought a total of 112 International students, consisting of students from Singapore, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Nepal, India, United States of America, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, South Korea, Brunei and Indonesia, to Wynyard’s Bloomin’ Tulips! Festival Day.

The program for the day includes a visit to the Farmers Market in the morning, Tulip Farm thereafter and the main festival in the Gutteridge Gardens.

The first impression by all of us when we arrived at Wynyard was the vibrant but at the same time very welcoming. There were smiles and greetings by the people who were there and also when we went to the Farmers Market and the stalls that were set up by the water for the festival.

We cannot help to be amazed by one of the farmers selling Tasmanian Fresh Farmed Rabbits that most of us will never find them back in our hometown and have only seen and heard of eating rabbits on television. It is interesting that rabbits are farmed and eaten as a nutritious meat, especially for elderly. I am of those who bought some of them back to try.

The festival is one of a kind in Tasmania. Although we have festivals n our home country, it is unlike the one here where the blooming of tulips is celebrated even though tulips are not a native to this island. Getting to see how a small town in Tasmania would unite together to celebrate the tulip festival is quite a sight. The amount of coordination and effort and for us that are from the tropical area, seeing flower blooming in unity has a symbolic similarity of how the people in Wynyard unite together for this event.

The culture of the celebration of the blooming of tulips that is imported from Turkey and Holland does not seem to be foreign at all. It feels as though the tulips have always been here in Tasmania.

During the day trip, it is not only about getting to know the local Tasmanian tulip culture, but it is also about the inter-exchange understanding of each other’s culture of origins among the students and the locals.

Other than the culture, we should not forget the highlight of the event, visiting of the Table Cape Tulip Farm. Everyone were fascinated by the vast plots of tulips, which some of the students say it is better than the one in Melbourne.

Everyone had a great time at the farm and festival. The finale of the day was the fireworks back in Wynyard. It was the moment everyone’s waiting for. Even though it is a long trip, everyone felt that it was a worthwhile experience. Some students, who have been here for 5 years of studies have not been to the tulip festival, were glad that they were able to be there for the celebration. There were also some who had been to the tulip farm but not the festival in the past found it more meaningful than just the tulips. Everyone took away pieces of memories and understanding the way Tasmanian celebrates the tulips as their own culture.

Yoke Chye, Koh
President of SSA
Singapore Students Association 2009
http://ssautas.blogspot.com/
(Affiliated under Tasmania University Union Incorporated, University of Tasmania in Launceston)