If you ask Kimi Chen, one of the biggest differences between China and Australia is the amount of homework.
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The Wellington resident has been chosen as one of the winners in the ABC's Heywire competition.
In addition to sharing her story, Kimi will attend the Regional Youth Summit - this year being held via Zoom - to meet likeminded youths and discuss solutions to some of the biggest concerns facing youths in Australia.
The competition is open to regional, rural and remote Australians between 16 and 22-years-old.
Kimi moved to the Central West from Zhaoqing in China in 2017.
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"My father moved to Australia first from Zhaoqing, then my mum and my brother then me, then my baby sister last year," she said.
In her Heywire submission, the 15-year-old wrote about the differences between the two countries, primarily the homework.
"If you would make a tower of the homework it would be as tall as me, from year one to 12," she wrote in her submission.
She said there was a lot of pressure to study hard.
Kimi told the Daily Liberal in China she would have to do two to three hours of homework every night, while here she would "maybe do half an hour".
The maths homework in Australia was also a lot easier, she said.
There are other differences the teenager is discovering about the two countries.
"The apps I use to talk to my friends are different - in China I use WeChat in Australia I use Snapchat. In China in class we would speak English but now I have to speak all the time but at home I speak Cantonese," Kimi said.
"The food isn't too different for me, I still eat a lot of the same food I ate in China because my Dad owns the local restaurant in Wellington.
"In Australia it is a lot hotter than it is in China!"
Kimi's writings on the differences were initially part of her school work in Coonamble - where the family used to live.
"I hope my story helps people know more about China and realise how different China and Australia are," she said.
While this year the summit will be a little different, Kimi said she was very excited to take part and further share her story.
"This is the first time that my photo and my story is in the news. It's so interesting meeting the other winners - I'm so inspired and impressed by their stories," she said.
The Regional Youth Summit will be held later in the month.
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Orlander Ruming
Deputy editor at the Daily Liberal, covering council, politics, human interest stories, community news and everything in between.
Deputy editor at the Daily Liberal, covering council, politics, human interest stories, community news and everything in between.
