I was eight years old when we migrated to New Zealand from Bangladesh. Unfortuna…
I was eight years old when we migrated to New Zealand from Bangladesh. Unfortunately, at that time medical degrees from non-English speaking countries weren't recognised, so my father couldn't practise. It was hard for him. It wasn’t great for his...
My dad left Iraq after he was called up to be an army doctor under Saddam Hussei…
My dad left Iraq after he was called up to be an army doctor under Saddam Hussein’s regime, which meant he would have to be part of either committing or covering up torture. He actually left without telling my mother, as escaping an army conscription was a major...
I was very excited about coming to Perth as a student, but then 2 weeks before I…
I was very excited about coming to Perth as a student, but then 2 weeks before I left, my mum was diagnosed with chronic renal failure, and she was still in hospital when I left Burma. So I had only one thing in my mind as I left - to do well in Australia so I could...
After doing two Masters degrees trying to ride out the GFC in Ireland and there …
After doing two Masters degrees trying to ride out the GFC in Ireland and there was still no sign of it ending, I decided to move to Australia to try to start a better life. Growing up, I had always had a fascination with Australia. I think I watched too much Home and...
By the age of 25, I had a great job, my own import business which I was running …
By the age of 25, I had a great job, my own import business which I was running on the side, my own apartment, a very good car, and a good group of friends. Life was treating me very well. But then all that changed. In 2009, our president was re-elected, but as most...
When I was 15 years old, the protests in Syria began – a game changer for most p…
When I was 15 years old, the protests in Syria began – a game changer for most people. I lived in a pro-government area, but my views towards the Syrian government changed a lot. Like many high school students, I was thinking of running away and joining the fight...
My name is George, but everybody calls me Ginger George! I was born in Syria and…
My name is George, but everybody calls me Ginger George! I was born in Syria and my background is Armenian, but in both communities ginger hair is extremely rare. Even in my entire family, there is no one who has ginger hair and sometimes I ask my mum, ‘Are you sure...
In Iran, I had a job as a researcher in Aquatic Animal Health. But opportunities…
In Iran, I had a job as a researcher in Aquatic Animal Health. But opportunities to grow and develop a profile in national and international levels for a female scientist were very limited, so it was always in the back of my mind to leave. Still, when I told my...
I am from the Sayed denomination in the Hazara group in Afghanistan – a minority…
I am from the Sayed denomination in the Hazara group in Afghanistan - a minority within a minority. We are actually one of the most persecuted minority groups in the world. In our tribe, my family were very well respected, and that was both our strength and our...
The war came to Damascus when I was 14 years old. At first, it didn’t really aff…
The war came to Damascus when I was 14 years old. At first, it didn’t really affect our lives too much, but after a couple of years, it became very dangerous and scary. A lot of students lost their hands or feet in bomb attacks on our school, and some of them died....
