Hi!
My name is Kate. I am 15 years old and was born in Matamata,
a town in the North Island of New Zealand, in 1989. When
I was nearly 8 years old, I moved to Australia with the
rest of my family. Although I have lived in Australia for
so long, I still consider myself a New Zealander as well
as an Australian.
I have always lived on a dairy farm. The farm we live
on now, known as ‘Ulupna', is in northeastern Victoria.
In New Zealand, it was always cold and raining—however,
in Australia it is much warmer and much drier than New
Zealand. We are currently going through a drought that
has lasted for 4 or 5 years! (This doesn't mean we miss
out on rain altogether, but it means that there are water
restrictions and less rain than usual.) I love living
on a farm, because I love the outdoors. I think that people
who live in the same areas as me and others in my class
can be easily stereotyped. That is, many people who live
in the city and in other countries assume that we want
to be farmers—this isn't the case!!! I don't want to be
a farmer, or even to MARRY one!
Since I was fairly young, I have wanted to be an architect.
In the last few months, though, I have wondered about
being a vet—I think this is because I love animals. One
of my teachers suggested I be a jeweler or metal smith,
because I am such a perfectionist! I am also part of the
school debating team, which I really enjoy, so maybe I
could be a lawyer... I love to argue. I would really like
to do something that I enjoy when I grow up—but doesn't
everyone?
I love school because it gives me a chance to socialize
as well as learn. The only problem is that I talk too
much and at the wrong times—I seem to talk most during
class. I don't think that I have ever received a school
report that hasn't said I am a "social butterfly."
I like most subjects at school, but Art, Math and English
are probably my favorite.
I go to school at Christ the King Anglican College, as
does my younger sister, Emma. Like the rest of my family,
she is a New Zealander. My mum and dad are both farmers,
and my mum also has a part-time job at a service station.
I work at the same place as her 2 or 3 times a month,
just for a bit of extra money. I love shopping, cooking,
reading and listening to music. I also love watching movies
and making things. I also like some sports—I love dancing.
I would love to take lessons one day.
I think that I am an open-minded person, but I am also
quite opinionated. I am creative, but I don't have a great
imagination—go figure. I need to be fed ideas and given
options before I act on anything! I don't think I am a
very independent person; I like to be surrounded by people.
Finally, my motto in life is this: Life is not a dress
rehearsal. Make the most of what time you have got, because
you only have one chance at it.