jessa

I want to share with you my experience as a Filipino delegate at the International Conference on Power and Energy Systems (ICPES) 2019 in Perth, Australia, which I initially posted on my previous blog and accessible here.

Before we continue with the story, I want to take you back to when my thesis adviser, Dr. Michael Pedrasa, encouraged me to submit part of my thesis to the ICPES 2019. And if my submission is accepted, Dr. Pedrasa suggested that I could attend the conference using the research dissemination grant from my DOST-ERDT scholarship, which amounts to Php75,000. While part of me was nervous about my paper not getting into the conference, the rest was also concerned about where I could get more money to attend if my paper gets accepted, because real talk, the Php75,000 would only cover the conference registration and round-trip airfare. And then there were still the visa processing fee, accommodation, and allowances for food and local transport. 😮‍💨 Before I let myself be consumed with overthinking, I told myself to calm down and cross the bridge when I get there.

After repackaging part of my thesis as a conference paper and submitting it in hopes of presenting my research abroad, I received an acceptance email on the afternoon of August 15, 2019.

I was both happy and worried because I knew I needed more than what the dissemination grant could offer. Still, I started processing the research dissemination grant request just to keep the momentum going. Even with my savings, I still needed a little more to travel comfortably in Perth. And with the little my mother and sister had, they were able to pitch in some more. What gave me the final push was when a friend was moved to help me and gave me Php2,500 without asking for anything in return. With all the money pooled, I was able to pay for the accommodation and still have enough for food and transport allowance. It was a tight budget, sure, but knowing that I could finally present my paper in Perth made everything else less of a worry.

I have made some grammar edits to this version and added some thoughts (including commentary in italics and parentheses) that I find worth mentioning but that I missed in the original version I wrote six years ago.

After five months of hard work, waiting, and prayers, it was time to go to the conference. It may sound so easy to fit in a sentence the agony of waiting for the funding and visa approval, but there’s so much joy the moment God answered all our prayers.  Our here means my family and friends who helped me through prayers and every means they know of.

So to begin…

I can recall how I trembled as a response to the fear of being alone the moment we parted ways. I had to remind myself of everything he told me about what to expect during immigration and layovers. There was a point when I just breathed deeply and accepted the challenge of solo international travel because I wanted to be there. My dream of presenting my research abroad eventually trumped my fear of the unknown. I thought, as long as I know how to read signs and have the courage to ask around, I would be okay.

After 12 hours of in-between flights and layovers, I finally arrived at Perth Airport. However, I immediately faced a problem in activating my Telstra SIM card due to a character in my surname. I immediately sought help at the concierge and learned that I have to go to Perth City to have my SIM card activation fixed. Having no internet was really a bad start to arriving in a new place. I could have downloaded offline maps while I was still in Manila, but it slipped off my mind. (But looking back to the experience and how I survived it all, I don’t want it any other way.)

Without the internet to tell me my exact location at the time, I asked my bus seatmate how long it would take me to reach Perth City. She was so kind to tell me that since she’s heading to the same stop, she’ll tell me by then how to find my way to the Telstra shop. When I arrived in Perth City around 7:30 in the morning, I still had an hour and a half to wait for the shop to open. So I spent the first hour reading a book I brought from home while taking in the cold morning breeze and watching the comings and goings of people around me. I also enjoyed listening to people talking in different accents, like music in my ears, while pigeons roamed around me out of curiosity. (So this is how it feels to be a global citizen.) For the remaining time I had before the shop opened, I spent it roaming around some parts of the city. Here are some photos I took:

How I wish that right after I got my SIM activated, I could finally use the much-needed internet. However, it did not go as planned. It felt like everything was going wrong for me, and I kept reaching out for solutions that seemed elusive. After almost losing my phone that morning when I forgot to pick it up where I left it in the toilet, I finally resolved to rely on everything that’s not digital. It felt like misfortune gave me a warm welcome in Perth. I was also getting a bit annoyed because I was already missing the day’s conference tutorials. (If only I had extra money to arrive a day early for the conference.) So while tempering my exasperation, I figured out how to go to the venue, Murdoch University, by asking stranger after stranger. I also learned that buses and trains only accept coins for cash payments, so I was forced to have my bills/notes changed. Good thing I found an affordable doughnut store nearby and ended up buying a Simpsons doughnut, as shown below. Since I was also exhilarated with how convenient their trains are compared to those in Manila, I couldn’t help but take photos of the experience.

Having no internet in a foreign land proved challenging. Once I left Murdoch Station, the quest to find my accommodation began. The main takeaway in this experience is to never be afraid to ask people because there will always be someone ready to help you out. That’s why I found it important that, prior to your flight, you must ask God to prepare people to help you in your journey. 

While I was on Bus 514, clueless about where to actually drop off, I saw three Indians getting on the bus when we stopped at Fiona Stanley Hospital. I noticed that each of them had their luggage, and so I thought that they were also heading to the same conference I will be going to. As minutes passed and some internal dialogue in my head, I mustered the courage to ask them whether they would be attending ICPES 2019. When they said yes, I was so overjoyed to finally have someone who could relate to me! So I took my chances by telling them my situation. When they got off, I got off as well so we could formally have a conversation about my need for help. They offered to find my address since they have working Wi-Fi. With everything sorted out, we bid farewell as we looked forward to seeing each other again at Murdoch University.

All alone in the suburb and walking under the heat of the day, I observed how quiet the neighborhood was. It must be what a first-world suburb looks like? With each passing car, I noticed how I don’t see anyone walking in the streets. So, while dragging my luggage across the pavement, listening to the wheels grind the surface, I felt so lonely that I was desperate for human interaction. Even though I was following the directions the Indians told me to follow, I walked back to where I started again because I knew there was a shortcut somewhere (based on my research prior to my flight). But after some time of walking, thirsty and tired, I began to regret my choice. I never felt so lost in my entire life! I have to admit I started murmuring about how everything had started so badly up to now, and I was asking the Lord if only He could send just one person! While walking and pleading, I was so surprised to see a lady appear to be leaving her house! The Lord indeed answered my request right there and then. 

Thinking that the Lord willed that particular meeting, I asked the woman if she knows how I could get to 30 Bibra Drive and she willingly searched for it through her phone. Having the same directions with the Indians, I decided to take it as my signal to really follow the path this time. So we bid farewell and I started to drag my luggage across the road. However, the lady called me back and asked me if I mind she’d give me a lift. I gladly accepted her offer—because I was too tired and thirsty and dizzy to be wary of a stranger in a foreign land—and hopped onto her Lexus. I even joked that helping me was checking off her bucket list of helping a stranger, which garnered me an honest laugh. I learned that if we’re given a chance to help, we must do so joyfully. Driving around the road where I could have spent around 10 minutes walking, we finally arrived at the house where I ought to check in. She kindly helped me figure out the black box where the house keys are, and the next thing I know, we exchanged our goodbyes, and I’m finally in the comfort of a home. Ah, to be finally under the shadows after being in the sun for too long.

After everything was settled and my internet was finally configured with the help of Chris, the host’s son, I went to Murdoch University to get a head start on what I would do the next day. And because I was unfamiliar with the bus routes, I just hopped onto Bus 514—the same bus I had with the other conference delegates earlier—and got off at Fiona Stanley Hospital. Looking at the map below, it was quite a long walk between points; enough for me to experience the Australian afternoon sun while walking in my corporate attire and heels. I barely saw people walk the streets as I did, so I wondered how I looked to the locals at that time.

The moment I arrived in the vicinity of Murdoch University, the place reminded me of the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD). They resemble each other except that I saw more cars than people in UPD. I also observed many signs of wildlife around, making the whole experience distinct and special. The gallery below shows some photos I took while on campus.

Unfortunately, I was unable to catch up on any tutorials that day, so after my registration was confirmed at the booth, I stayed on the free benches near Building 440 while waiting for the Welcome Reception later that afternoon.

I was also able to reunite with the Indian friends I met on the bus, and I took the chance to have a photo with them. Mohit (left), Afzal (middle), and Shivaraj (right) presented their papers as posters during the conference. I had never had friends/colleagues/acquaintances from India before, and spending time with them throughout the conference helped me learn about their culture. I learned a lot from them, experiencing firsthand how intelligent and witty they are as researchers and as people. They really are some trusty people, and I am so glad to meet them.

I also admire her skill to connect people. At one time, she just asked me what research field I am interested in. From that moment on, she kept introducing me to different people, from Australia to the United States, who shared my interests. If I’ve learned so much about socializing during conferences, Ms. Enkhee deserves most of the credit.

The experience of discussing my paper in a multinational audience for the first time was both uneasy and exciting. I really felt my heart beating in my throat before and during the presentation. Even so, I am grateful for the experience and am glad that I was able to answer the audience’s questions. I owe it to the preparation I did before the conference, which gave me time to practice my delivery and ensure my presentation deck was concise/direct and able to tell a story.

For my first out-of-the-country conference, ICPES 2019 is a memory I would go back to because, being my first, it certainly has its own appeal and magic. What struck me most was the social component of conferences, which forces you to present your research in a short pitch that should pique your target audience’s interest. (I would later learn, as I spend more years doing research, that research communication is an art that I am yet to master.)

While the conference officially ended, the event registration included a day tour in Rottnest Island—an island off the coast of Western Australia—scheduled after the three-day conference. (My Rottnest Island experience has its own blog post which you can read here.)

You can read my conference paper entitled “Relationship of Economic Growth and CO2 Emissions in the Philippines: An EKC Hypothesis Testing Case Study” here.

I spent my last day in Perth packing and buying pasalubong. Meanwhile, there are two more people that I would like to write about because they also made my first solo international travel experience memorable.

She took me through her stories to places from London to her workplace, up to the comfort of her house, story after story. I really learned a lot from her. Fiona treated me like her daughter and gave me a home in Australia. Indeed, a mother is a mother wherever she is in the world. If you are staying in the Murdoch area, I highly recommend Fiona as your Airbnb host. You can check her property listings through this link.