I was always interested in art. But in Syria, being an artist was not considered a serious profession, and I was told that I should try to be something like a doctor instead. When my father and his family saw me drawing, he would take away my pencil and paper. I tried...

I can still remember my first day in English class here. Our teacher told us we could do whatever we wanted in Australia, as long as we really wanted it, and put in the effort. Then she asked us all, ‘What would you like to do?’ And I was just sitting and looking at...

I met my husband at the airport in Dubai while I was travelling for work. We stayed in touch, and soon our friendship developed into a long-distance relationship. Three months later, he came from Australia to visit me in Morocco. And after two years, we got married! I...

When I was 10 years old, the decision was made for me to leave behind my parents and five sisters to escape Afghanistan with my uncle and cousin. At that time, the Taliban had taken over, and because our family was Hazara, there...

Until I was 13 years old, the only thing I experienced in my country was war. However, after the Taliban was removed from power in 2001, we had peace for a few years, and many development projects were implemented in Afghanistan. More schools opened everywhere, and...

I came to Australia from Bangladesh on a partner visa. Because I had a diverse background working with multinational companies in IT and a master’s degree from Thailand, I didn’t think it would be difficult to find a job here. However, although I was able to get a few...