(1/2) I was born in 1983 during the war between Iraq and Iran, and my dad was fighting on the front line. He used to visit us a few times per year. Growing up during the war wasn’t easy. We couldn’t go to school, and the sanctions really caused people to suffer...
Our family left Ireland during The Troubles. It was a difficult decision, as my mum’s one of ten and my dad’s one of seven, so to leave that huge support system wasn’t easy. At that time, I was 8. I don’t remember much, but apparently a lot of Catholic and Protestant...
When we first came to Australia, I went to a school where they thought I would be ok without doing any special English lessons. At first I thought, ‘Yeah it’s going to be fine’ but then I realised that I just didn’t understand a thing anyone was saying. I came home...
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...
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...
