So, I wanted to tell you the story of something that happened to me which was really scary at first and then I just decided to go for it! And it was just an absolutely mind-blowing experience.

I was accompanying a delegation from overseas and we were in a very high level ministerial meeting so half of the assembly was French and the other half was Australian and suddenly I was put on the spot by the highest member of the French delegation who very kindly asked me to translate, to do simultaneous interpreting, um.. and it was a meeting about higher education and projects for collaboration between both governments. And eh, it was one of those split second moments where you just think, Oh my God, I drown or I swim! And I just thought, I’ll swim! Eh, and I just went for it and smiled and said “Yes, I would love to help with that”.

The meeting went really well, er, there were some funny moments there were some moments that were probably a little bit scary but I was just in the midst of it and I was swimming quite happily, and um, that’s of course an image, but it was an incredible moment in time. It probably lasted for about fifteen minutes. And at the end of the meeting I was sitting next to erm somebody from the embassy er.. really high level as well and who thanked me and congratulated me and told me, “Oh my God, it was fantastic! You blew me away! You have got a new career path in front of you!”

And I also, I was congratulated by the other two parties and it was one of the most incredible and empowering times in my life where I realised that I’d taken the challenge in something that was really scary and I wasn’t prepared for it at all but somehow jumping into the unknown er was,was incredible! I loved every minute of it… and now I think that’s something I would like to do again, probably being more prepared next time that I know what it is.Er, but yes! Incredible moment in life so…when something like that happens, just go for it!