The 'New Humans of Australia'
A chance at new life, headscarf compliments and finding love: A Facebook page, inspired by a New York blog, has been created to dispel myths and welcome migrants to Australia.
Based on the blog 'Humans of New York' the page reveals the stories of "refugees and migrants who call Australia home".
The creator of the page, Nicola Gray, 40, had previously worked at a college which delivered the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP).
The page shares the stories of migrants to Australia, including former Ogaden refugee, Roda, who came to Australia eight years ago.
She moved to Australia from Ogaden, a Somali state in eastern Ethiopia, eight years ago after experiencing a traumatic childhood where she was involved in a civil war, got thrown among various refugee camps and was being smuggled across dozens of borders.
'It’s only since I came here that I feel I have started to have a life,' she said.
She married to a man from Ogaden who lived in Australia.
Her son wants to live in Sydney with her.
The second touching story featured Hassan who escaped from Iraq 17 years ago.
He his children and heavily pregnant wife were trying to flee to Turkey but local police would send him and his family back.
It wasn't until a European woman noticed what was really happening.
"She rushed us into her office, gave us some papers to sign, and said, ‘You go to the hospital now. You don’t need to do an interview. You are safe.’"
He and his family then fled to Australia where his son has just graduated from high school.
Hassan fled to Australia in 1999, at the age of 17, by himself. His family was killed by the Taliban, Hassan was with staying with his uncle which saved him.
He arrived in Australia on a boat from Indonesia currently runs two successful restaurants after starting as a dishwasher earning just $260 a week.
Naseer claims that "[his] Australian citizenship was actually the first citizenship of [his] life."
He moved to Australia 15 years ago and since living in Australia he has studied to be able to work with asylum seekers, providing them with training.
Laure-Elise is doing her PhD in Human Geography and Tasos is doing his PhD in Medical Physics.
"Once I was in Glebe and I was a bit worried because it was night time, and I was standing at the bus stop and someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I was thinking, ‘Oh my god’, because she had warned me."
"Then I turned around, and this guy just said to me, ‘Hey, beautiful scarf!'"
Jack came to Australia for love after meeting his wife in Amsterdam 20 years ago, "Greta and I have probably been to 25 countries or so together."
She was a journalist in Vietnam, but when she arrived to Australia she worked in a chicken factory.
"I feel very lucky because I can be a part of two cultures, both the culture of the East and the West, so my life is full of meaning."
"I look at both as my family, my heart."
Arlindo had a hard life in Portugal and claims, "things are getting worse and worse in Portugal."
"We are still feeling the impact of the GFC, and everyone’s wages have gone down but the cost of living just keeps going up."
He claims he is very happy to be living in Australia.
http://www.humansofnewyork.com/For the latest stories and to follow the page. The New Humans of Australia click on this link.
Morning news break - September 23
