From my Culture Stories of immigration and Asian Australians Hello, my name is Annabel Le and I am Australian. I’ll tell you a bit about myself first, my Dad is from Vietnam, and my Mum is from Singapore; I also have an older brother and sister. I was born in Adelaide, grew up in Ballarat, and I’m now living in Melbourne. I had never wondered more about where my family is from and the traditions that were long gone from my generation. Being an Asian Australian has been a struggle in finding my own identity and being confident about being Asian. I always felt the need to be more like the people around me and felt uncomfortable when I was the only Asian in the room. Only recently has it become something that I am proud of, the food that I like, how I look and who I want to be. So in wanting to know more about my cultural background, I have collected the stories of my family’s immigration to Australia to find out what their life and experience was like. I have also collected the experiences of other Asians living in Australia from different backgrounds sharing their thoughts on racism and their Contents own unique cultures. Moving to Australia 4 Vietnam to Australia 6 Viet-Chinese Culture 11 From China to Malaya 12 Peranakan Culture 14 From Malaysia and Singapore 16 Living in Australia 18 Moving to Australia Immigration stories from both sides of my family Vietnam to Australia My name is Tu Le. I am from Ballarat My grandparents migrated from China where I have been living for the past to Vietnam because it had more room, twelve years. I am married to my wife, and pace of life was slower. Then our Dawn, and we have three beautiful family migrated to Adelaide, then children. So where should I start? Let’s from Adelaide to Ballarat. Do you see start from the beginning. a trend here? We are moving from a more populous area to a less populous Let me paint you a picture of my area, we are going further south with childhood in Vietnam. I was born in each move, and from warmer to colder Saigon, Vietnam. It is also known as Ho climate. I fear the next time I move it Chi Minh City now. The year of my birth will be Antartica! was 1966. It was during the Vietnam War. So you might say, this was not a good Nowadays if you visit Ho Chi Minh City, year nor a good place to be born. Some of it is a delightful place. It has many you may have visited Vietnam and Ho Chi interesting cuisines, with Chinese and Minh City. It is now a hustling bustling city French influence. I am sure some of of 8.5 million people cramped into 800 you are familiar with Vietnamese food square miles. In comparison, Melbourne because it is so readily available right has half of that population in 3800 here in Melbourne. Ho Chi Minh is also square miles. For those of us who live in a famous for shopping. I have many regional town like Ballarat, we think that friends who have been to Vietnam in Melbourne is a congested city. Sometimes recent years and everybody loved it. I come to Melbourne just to enjoy the However, over 50 years ago when I was traffic jam because you just can’t get that born and where I spent my childhood in Ballarat. Multiply the congestion of – when the war was raging – it was far Melbourne by 10 times and you have Ho from an ideal place to live. Chi Minh City. The war occupied the thoughts of In my family, my mother was the one world. I pride myself being a man of just waited quietly on the beach of Vung everyone living there. I remember every who had a real Buddhist faith. My father science. But what I saw really was beyond Tau. A small fishing boat, only about time we turned on the TV (if you were was just nominal and he simply went science to explain. There is only one 20m in length, came to pick us up. Its lucky enough to have one) or the radio, along with things if he had to. I don’t conclusion: the spiritual world does exist. registration number was 1317. That marked every time I overheard the conversations think he had a faith as such. He never All these things that I have seen in my the beginning of our journey to Australia. between the adults, it was always went to the temple on his own and he childhood and my teenage years, And for us it was also the beginning of about the war. never talked about anything related led me to this conclusion: there is a our journey of getting closer to God. We about faith to us. It was my mother spiritual realm. spent seven days and nights at sea. It Nobody felt safe, nobody felt who taught us the Buddhist chants and was certainly not smooth sailing. The secure, nobody felt that they encouraged me to say them as often as Secondly, the spiritual realm is scary. journey itself is hard to describe, but we possible. She believed it would ward off There is no love, but only fear. I still faced terrible storms and kept ourselves had a clear future. evil spirits. That put fear into my heart, remember when I was young – perhaps from being exposed to waves and rains because in my mind there were evil when I was 10 – every day when the sun by a tarp covering over us. Under the I remember growing up under the weight spirits lurking everywhere. You have seen went down, I just had a sense of dread. tarp, we could not see anything but only and tension of the war. Poverty and war a dancing lion or dragon on Chinese New I did not know why, I was just afraid. hear the sound of the constant belting were part of life in those days. Year and firecrackers. The idea is that Thinking back now, I believe there was of waves and rains. I was soaked right they drive the evil spirits away. Even now spiritual oppression in the environment I through. There was little food and hardly Now just a little bit of background about I still know to say those chants, they were grew up in. I was at that time indeed very any water. Many of us became disoriented my family. My grandparents are from so deeply entrenched into the minds of far away from God. and delirious. Some were sick. One young Canton (Quangdong) but my parents my sister and me. man fell off the side of the boat and we were born in Vietnam. That makes me a were powerless to save him because of the third generation in Vietnam of Chinese In our house, there were four different 1975 marked the end of the Vietnam War. rough sea. Within seconds he was gone, heritage. When I was growing up our altars: one for the deities in heaven, I am not sure what your opinion is about swallowed by the waves. family was very Chinese in culture, in one for the deities in the earth, one for the Vietnam war. I guess after decades religion, in thinking, in the food that we ate. We spoke Cantonese at home even the goddess my mother served called of conflict, most people were glad to At that time, we completely the Goddess of Mercy. Ancestor worship see the end of the war. But the end of lost track of time. It seemed like after three generations in Vietnam. I have is not Buddhism but Confucianism. In the war brought a new hardship to my an eternity. We did not know been in Australia for 43 years so I am quite Australia, children may be given chores family. My father was a manager of a whether we would live or die, or mixed culturally. like taking out the garbage, or washing textile company in Vietnam before 1975 we did not have clarity of mind dishes, etc. Well, in Vietnam we had to do and we were comfortable. However, his I am Chinese-Vietnamese- those as well. But in addition, my sister to even care. assets and savings were all confiscated Australian! Talking about and I were given the chore of burning by the government when the country multiculturalism! I am But God kept the rest of us alive. After incense sticks and offering prayers to was unified. So overnight our family lost seven days we arrived at the refugee multicultural in one person. these deities before dinner every evening. everything and – worse still – my father camp in Malaysia. The refugee camp was Obedient children that we were, we never was virtually unemployable. My father no more than an uninhabited island where I come from a small family, I have only one questioned why we had to do it and never lived under the constant fear of being all the refugees were put together. It had sister who is a dentist. She and my parents complained. So little by little we developed sent to re-education camp because he no buildings on it, so we built our own are now living in Adelaide. a belief in these gods. But the faith was was a capitalist in the eyes of the new huts out of branches and straw. There was not based on love, but based on fear. We communist government. We tried to no water, so we dug our own wells. There I have a Chinese ancestry – as most other believed that if we did not do these things, survive on as little as possible. My mother was little food, some was provided by the Chinese in Vietnam – our faith was not just then we would not be blessed or – perhaps sold fabrics on the street, so that we could UN but it was not enough, so we grew our Buddhism. Rather it was a combination – the gods would punish us. Are these just put food on the table. We survived like own vegetables and kept some chickens. of different religions, philosophies and harmless, wooden idols? I don’t think so. that for three years. We just ate whatever we could find, frogs cultures, and sometimes, even black There are real demonic powers behind and snakes and fish, etc. We had no magic. On the surface we called ourselves them and they did control us. At the end, we had no choice electricity and at night time it was pitch Buddhists. But thinking back, there were but to risk our lives on the sea, black except for a few oil lamps. many practices that we adopted that In addition to this Buddhist worship, my and escaped from Vietnam. were not Buddhism. Let me give you some family occasionally dabbled in other examples from what I can remember cultish practices as well. Thinking back After over 40 years, I can still remember about Buddhism when I was a child. now it really sends a chill down my spine. that night. The moon was shining bright One such practice is the Chinese Ouija that night. Our family along with many board. It has left the deepest impression other families, about 170 people in total, on me as an experience of the spiritual Viet-Chinese Culture In total our family stayed there for six There was another gentleman whose months. It was during those days that I name was Julian. He was an immigrant had another personal encounter with the from Eastern Europe. He came to visit us dark side of the spiritual world. I became and showed us around Adelaide so that very sick with a high temperature. There we could become more familiar with our surroundings. was no doctor nor medicine on the island. So in desperation my parents took me to Etiquettes a man who was possessed by a spirit and Since then I went to medical school Etiquettes are important in our culture, Another memorable festival is mid asked him to heal my by supernatural in 1984, met my wife Dawn and have especially showing respect to other family autumn festival. In the old days, it is a means. When the evil spirit manifested had three children Mariah, Jordan members. For example, you can not call festival for harvest but that is not relevant itself, he spoke in tongues and performed and Annabel. your elders by their first names. It is to city dwellers. On that day, we eat moon rituals over me. That was another scary always aunties and uncles, cousin this and cake and “pig cake” which is made of encounter with the spiritual world. We moved to Ballarat where I that. Even your elder siblings, you can not leftover dough from mooncakes. Chinese still currently live and feel happy call them by name. That is why Aunty Ann believe the moon is brightest and fullest Despite the perilous sea journey and calls me big brother and not my name. on that night out of the whole year. So in and settled in Australia where I the rough condition of the camp – and You can call anyone younger than you, or the evening the adults would get together my sickness – we finally arrived in have found my home. and celebrate, eating mooncakes and lower generation by their names. Secondly, Adelaide, Australia. you need to greet everyone elder (in age drinking tea. The children would each of generation) first when you meet. Every have a lantern lit by a candle and parade When we first arrived in morning I have to say “good morning around the neighbourhood. The lanterns Adelaide, we came with Mum, good morning Dad” when I see my are made of cellophane into shapes of parents. The same thing when we go to different animals. It is fun, but sometimes absolutely nothing except visit other people and we have to greet sad when your lantern burns down. a few changes of clothes. each person out loud “hello Aunty, Another not so happy festival is Qingming hello uncle etc”. We had no money. We could not speak a festival. It is a day that people spend word of English. Even day-to-day things visiting the tombs of their ancestors that I now take for granted were major Festivals and paying respect to them. It is usually a sombre day. obstacles for me. Even making a phone call to make an appointment to see a There are many festivals in Vietnam. The doctor was a major challenge. You have memorable ones are Chinese New Year, no idea how difficult it is to someone who which is public holiday for 7 days. It starts the night before new year day, which is Food cannot speak English. My parents decided that my English was the best in the family the last meal of the old year and has to Food is very important in any culture, and I became the official translator for be eaten with everyone in the extended but more so in chinese culture. Breakfast the family. In reality I could hardly speak family. It is a bit like our Christmas dinner. is usually simple on a week day, usually English myself. On New Year day, you wake up early that bread in our family, or congee. Lunch is morning and put on new clothes. Never eaten at home. Students are allowed to There were kind-hearted people – her wear old clothes on New years day. Most go home midday for lunch. Our servants real name I can no longer remember – of the first few days of New year are usually cook a proper hot meal with 3-4 but all the refugees who knew her called spent visiting each other, friends and dishes served with rice. After lunch we her ‘Mummy’. She and her family, her relatives. Those who are not married will can have a short nap before going back daughter and son-in-law, did everything get red packets with money and you will to school in the afternoon. In the evening they could to help the newly arrived be offered snacks, mostly candied fruits. our servant would have prepared totally refugees settle in their adopted country. There are fire crackers and dancing lions different 3-4 dishes again to be eaten She provided the basic things to meet etc. It is a time for joy and celebration, with rice. In the evening, we sometimes our needs, such as some second-hand and spending time with family and have supper before bed. These are usually furniture and clothes. Basic instructions, relatives. One favourite activity in our bought from shops or street vendors. My such as how to catch a bus and how family is playing cards and games. I think favourite was Kaya toast. Other options to apply for a job, were very Mum’s family likes singing and dancing. are noodles and wonton etc. We didn’t much appreciated. have sweets or chocolate or icecream much, but children often snack on fruits and preserved fruits, such as plums and mango etc. From China to Malaya By Anne Geok-Imm and Tony Eng-Guan Chi We are Annabel’s maternal grandparents. school did not understand my version of An example is Tony’s father. His father The last example is Tony’s maternal Our first ancestor migrated to Malaya Malay”, wrote Denise Lee, an academic. studied in England, worked at a bank in grandfather in Singapore, Tan Kheam (now Malaysia) in the 17th century from An example is Duck Soup, a Chinese Malacca and then became manager of the Hock. His grandfather was an Fujian province in China, in the 16th dish referred to in Peranakan as “Itek bank. He owned a very large house and entrepreneur who had monopolies century Chinese men had already started Tim”. “Itek”is duck in Malay and “Tim”is some parcels of land. The house was in three large businesses. He was on to leave China for Malaya in the hope Chinese for slow boiling. large most probably so that he could also several boards, for example, of the of a better life. These early Chinese men support his two sisters’ families in the King Edward VII Medical School and a married non-Muslim Malay female bond Later, when the British established tradition of kinship. He had a chauffeur, a great help to the Chinese community, maids but later, as more Chinese men their influence in Malacca, Penang chef, a gardener, and several maids. Sadly for example in obtaining permission for arrived in Malaya they were able to send and Singapore these three towns were however, he died from a heart attack in a cemetery for the Chinese resulting for Chinese women. able to offer the locals education in his mid-40s, possibly due to the stress of his in the road leading to it being named English by the Catholic mission. Many financial commitments during the after him. He helped to translate 68 By the time our first Chee ancestor arrived Peranakan took advantage of this and Japanese occupation of Malaya. Chinese classic tales into Peranakan in Malacca he was able to have a Chinese the ability to speak English gave them Malay. He was also a philanthropist. wife. This is where the story becomes an advantage in their careers and The next example is Anne’s grandfather. It could be said that as a migrant he interesting and unique from the language enterprises. The Chinese who migrated He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in was glad to be able to give back to his point of view for our succeeding ancestors to Malaya lived better lives than they his town. Anne’s mother recalled that she adopted country in small ways. spoke a language that was not Chinese would have lived had they remained in would peer through a hole in the wooden but rather a form of Malay with Hokkien China and some of them even became floor of the upstairs of their house to see Successful Peranakan families even (dialect in Fujian) words. Their Malay is wealthy business men or wealthy in their her father settling disputes and giving established museums for their now referred to as Peranakan Malay or chosen careers. advice to the Chinese who came to see him. individual clans. In Malacca there is Baba Malay. “It never occurred to me a Chee Family Museum which houses that I was different until the teachers at memorabilia. There are similar ones in Malacca, Singapore and Penang. Peranakan From the cultural point of The beginning of the end of the view, Peranakan culture is best Ancient Peranakan. According to Felix known for Peranakan porcelain, Chia in his book on the Peranakan, the Peranakan cuisine and Peranakan Peranakan families, it is estimated that Culture wealth dwindled from WW1, through female attire. WW2, to the time of the Japanese Occupation. For example, Tony’s Peranakan porcelain is the icon in their mother, then already a widow with 7 culture. When other parts of the world children to support, had to sell off her became very interested in ceramics made in possessions piece by piece...the large China wealthy families outside China, family home, the imported mirrors, including wealthy Peranakan families were antiques and jewellery. able to place specific orders to be made in China and then for them to be exported to the buyers. Peranakan porcelain is Peranakan in 2021. It is distinctive and relatively very limited in the estimated that there are quantity produced. The items were bowls, fewer than 2,000 Peranakan soup spoons, saucers, plates, tea pots and in Melaka, Singapore and special jars with lids called kamcheng. Penang separately. The porcelain is very colorful and usually decorated with two symbols...the phoenix There are still some Peranakan and peony. This colorful porcelain was used Associations but not many. When only on special occasions. Originals are not they meet on a festive occasion like surprisingly, very collectible today. Chinese New year they celebrate with Peranakan food, attire and song. The Peranakan used Malay ingredients in Tony’s family has a Chi Family Reunion their food like coconut milk, fresh turmeric, held in Malaysia every 3 years from chilli, candle nuts, shrimp paste (belacan) Boxing Day until the day after the and Chinese ingredients like fresh garlic, calendar New Year. This event was ginger, dried prawns. My Italian hairdresser initiated by Tony’s siblings in Malaysia was introduced by me to spicy “sambal in 2004, then gradually handed over to belacan”, a chilli paste containing shrimp the volunteers in the generation after paste which can be quite addictive for the them. In 2005, a WhatsApp Chat Group converted. He now relies on me for supplies! was formed with these words: “We are a large family of Peranakan heritage In attire the Peranakan women liked to use with a shared inherited culture of love, the Malay “sarong” and Malay “kebaya” respect and fun that has forged a but their kebaya was a more expensive unique and magical bond among us. version. The embroidery was much more Today this family spans four generations elaborate and held together by 3 diamond spread over Malaysia, Singapore, brooches and real gold chain links. Australia and USA. This group together with other close Chi affiliates form our extended global network, ChengNet.” It is expected though that with each passing generation the unique Peranakan language will not be used because Engish is our spoken and written language but the Peranakan history and rich heritage will not be forgotten. They have been safely stored in books, Peranakan porcelain, Peranakan recipes and videos. From Malaysia and Singapore By Anne Geok-Imm In 1976 Tony and I decided to migrate to my first experience with a blue collar Adelaide with our two young daughters. worker. It was not because there was We were both born in Melaka but moved a class system where I came from but to Singapore where Tony had to serve because we white collar workers did the Singapore government for his British not have much to do with blue collar Commonwealth scholarship to do his workers. So it was a pleasant surprise for PhD at Glasgow University. We made the me. I was also impressed at the orderly decision because of some racial riots by queues in department stores Malay against Chinese in neighbouring and supermarkets. Malaysia. Race was and still is a problem in political and economic life in Malaysia. We have now lived in Australia for 45 We decided on Adelaide because my years. Since our arrival we have seen the brother who was living there said that generosity of the Australian government Adelaide was an ideal city to raise a and the Australian people in accepting family. He was not wrong! many migrants from different ethnic groups so that today Australia is an I remember the car journey from the excellent example of a successful airport to Harry’s home and how I was multi-cultural society. quite surprised to see the not very impressive condition of the Keswick I am now a proud Australian and I Railway Station. I had assumed that identify myself with Australia whenever Adelaide would be much more developed an Australian wins a medal in world and prosperous than the Singapore at that sport or in some other award. Of course time. I was even more surprised when I I am also proud of my Peranakan culture was in Rundle Mall at one time, to see a and am pleased that so much has been drunk Aboriginal man lying on the side done to preserve our history and culture. of a lane and the passers-by not being affected by this sight. Later I was to see a However my life has been enriched by homeless man sleeping on the floor of my having migrated to Australia. I a church porch. appreciate the freedom of speech, the health system, the educational system, However, I also remember writing to my the welfare system, and the integrity of ex-students in Singapore to tell them its electoral system, to name a few. I like that my brother did not even bother to the fact that retirees and non-retirees lock his back door at night whereas we volunteer in the community and the in Singapore had to immediately install compassion seen in the floral tributes ugly iron grilles on our brand new house put by strangers at the site where windows. Our next door neighbour was someone had died tragically in a motor a nice elderly couple from Estonia. The accident or in other ways. husband had worked as a refugee railway worker somewhere in Australia. This was Thank you, Australia. Living in Australia The experiences of being an Asian living in Australia Falgun I am from Gujarat state in India, the When I arrived at the airport I could not Western part of India. So that’s where I was explain to the bus driver that I wanted to born and brought up until I was 20 years old. come to Ballarat. My accent was different, I finished my Bachelor of Commerce in India they couldn’t explain or understand and then I decided to come to Australia what I was trying to say. And I couldn’t Patel to do a Master of Accounting and that’s understand what they were trying to say. how I came to Ballarat, in 2006. I’m one of Luckily I made a few friends. I shared a four siblings in my family, I got married in house with other students that happen 2009. My wife’s name is Payal, she came to to be from the same background, which Australia in 2010 and we have two beautiful was Gujuratis. And that made life easy boys Dhyan and Heyan. compared to if I would have stayed with someone else. Slowly, I had to adapt So that’s my personal side, my professional with Australian culture, but it wasn’t a side is when I finished my Masters of shock for the first day with people who Accounting in 2009, I managed to get a job understand where I’m coming from. in Ballarat as a graduate accountant and They understand my language, they I’m at the same place now. I joined as a understand what I would like to eat. business partner at the same place where I We cooked together, we shared the food started as a graduate accountant and now and I didn’t have to worry about a lot of I own half of the business that I started at. things because they treated me like a So, life is so simple. It takes a lot of hard part of family. work and dedication, but if the challenge is not there, then you can’t be successful. I was vegetarian when I came to Australia And at the end of the day it pays off. And I so I never ate meat at all. No chicken no personally believe it’s not only you because fish, nothing. So that was my cultural of your hard work, obviously, some blessings background. I couldn’t find that many of God, blessings of your parents, blessings options for eating here because it’s not of your people around you. that versatile, everything had meat in it. I adopted all of the Australian culture and I I could have had further education in India, started eating meat. Now, I’m Aussie. but I wanted to explore a little bit more than what I had experienced. If I would have I would say you cannot lose that done the study at the same place, I think connection to your culture. It doesn’t I wouldn’t have been as broad minded as work if you only want to say, I’m Aussie. what I am now. Different people, It doesn’t work on the other extreme as different culture. well that I’m Indian, I’m Indian, I’m Indian. Yes, I am proud to be Indian, but I am You want to explore as much Australian also. I became an Australian citizen, my children are both born here, as you can, life is very short my future is here, my work life but my and that’s what made me schooling was in India. So obviously decide to come. there is a balance. So when I came to Australia my English was I can’t just forget about my okay, not the best obviously because I had never spoke in English. I had a short English childhood, forget about my history, because I look like Yes, I am proud to language course before I got my admission here so I had to pass the test, which I Indians, I can’t pretend. managed to do it because that’s okay, I can study. But the speaking experience involves be Indian, but I am interactions. You don’t have time to think about it when you’re talking to someone it’s instant, and the accent is different. When Australian also. you talk you’re talking to the local people which is different to studied English that always had a clear language and speaking, but then you actually come into the reality of it. Our kids will be different because they When I came to Australia, I were born here. I think Australia will be more and more multicultural, every second suddenly looked different to person who you’ll meet will be a different people and I speak differently. country. Even Ballarat is growing in terms of migrations and different ethnic groups. I felt that people look at you as if maybe I would say I wouldn’t have met a single I come from a different planet, but I would person in my first four or five years in certainly say that not everyone was like Australia that had an Indian background that. I had a security guard job to support and born in Australia. None of the people I my education and sometimes they could met with Indian background were born here be quite extreme because they had some so it was different. Now, in another 10 years alcohol and they’re intoxicated. And it will be a different generation altogether. sometimes they say because they don’t have anything else to say ‘go back to your I always miss the festivals they were always country’. But I thought it was part of the big, loud and warm. You always spend job, I didn’t take it personally. a lot of time having friends around and having lots of food, different kinds of food. Even though I speak Gujarati now, Everyone is in a happy stage of their life at sometimes I have a lot of English words in that point of time. So when I come home it because slowly my English takes over. But during holidays the festivals are always apart from that I am the same person as I close to my heart. It’s growing here as was when I was younger. well, because there are a lot of people still celebrating them, but it’s not the same. When I was growing up, I had a lot of vegetarian foods but The second is the warmth, you give support. when I think about right now It was not common to rely that much on the government, you relied on the friends and my favourite food is families you know. So, if something goes chicken biryani. wrong I’ll always call my neighbour, the last thing coming to my mind is to call the So biryani, which is funny because a lot of government authority. You have to give a lot people would say it’s not my culture, food of time to your friends as well because when from my place is a different part of India’s they need you, you have to be around. Then food. But my friends here coming from they will be around when you need them. So that background and growing up eating it it works both ways. I think that’s a very big in the last few years here then became my difference here. People are thinking more favourite chicken meal here. It’s an Indian about their privacy, their independence, dish with rice and chicken that they infuse their freedom. with steam and let it cook slowly and that becomes really tasty food. That could be what my children are missing because we have to ask. For example, if they want to go to a friend’s place I have to ask the parents it’s a whole different world. I’ve grown up in a small town where in the morning I leave the house and I used to tell my mum I’m going to play with friends. Sometimes I ended up coming home around six or seven o’clock and my mom wouldn’t know when I have had lunch, where I had a glass of water but she knows that wherever I am she doesn’t have to be worried about it. It’s a different culture and that’s the part of the culture I’m missing. Jenny I’m originally from Thailand and I relocated I was really lucky because I found myself over to Australia in 2015 to finish my with a really good group of students secondary school studies. Ever since then who all happen to not be boarders which I’ve just been studying, doing my tertiary might have meant that they were a little Santaannop studies in Melbourne. Currently, I am an bit more globalised in a sense. It was hard honours student doing a degree in bio because I would say I could count in single sciences, essentially specialising in marine digits the students who are international. biology and ecology. I’ve been based here I really was genuinely the minority in the for the past five or so years but originally I cohort. And so you immediately get put relocated from Thailand which is where my in to this box of being international and family are still living. at the time I didn’t realise these really racist comments but I would have people I think I got the short end of the stick a little be like, making remarks about being bit in the sense that where I’d grown up was surprised about how good my English was. in a very international community. I was I felt like I constantly had to be breaking in international school all my life from pre the stereotype of being an Asian of Asian prep all the way through to year nine, which descent. I constantly was having to prove was when I moved over to Australia for year myself that I wasn’t stereotypically what 10 studies. The thing that I found really they thought I was. confronting was that I moved from a really global and international community into I remember at the start I would call home this city called Ballarat in regional Victoria. and just be like, I absolutely hate it here, And the reason that I moved to that school everyone sucks and I felt really isolated. was due to a few reasons like I wanted to I think it didn’t help, but the fact that I go to a coed school, I wanted to go to a non moved in halfway through the year that I religious school, and go to a school that missed the whole introductory segment of had a good science as well as visual arts starting a new year group as well. Having department. And it just happens that that experience was a really massive the school that ticked all the boxes contrast against my upbringing. The was in Ballarat. more I felt comfortable in that space and once I got over the fact that I just moved I was 15 and I moved into a boarding school country and the homesickness and all of there, and obviously without going into too that was fine, I was able to rationalise much depth, the fact that a 15 year old was and realise some of these people are just locating overseas by herself was really hard unfortunately really close minded. on its own. What made things a lot harder was that obviously the school being situated It’s not my responsibility to in regional VIC meant it was attracting lots of country kids, especially within take it upon myself to prove the boarding setting. There were some myself to anyone because I international students and some students don’t have to, that I didn’t who were boarding because they’re located have to be this Asian who I felt like I constantly in Melbourne City and they wanted to go to wasn’t stereotypically Asian. school in Ballarat. But a lot of them were regional kids who had grown up in regional I didn’t have to do that and I stopped had to be breaking Victoria. Without sounding dismissive a lot feeling the need to do that and I realised of the kids especially being as young as 15 if anyone had just put an effort to get were really stereotypically close minded to know me they’d realise how much and sheltered. they’ve misjudged my character the stereotype of based on my appearance. They are very different from the kids I grew up being an Asian. with who were very global and very open minded and understanding and that was really hard. My older sisters have moved overseas before more disconnected to my roots. Even with to New Zealand as well as Australia, and speaking Thai I really have to keep up this they had horrible horrible experiences. most basic and fundamental part of People yelling at them on the street, even being who I am, which is speaking the mum and dad experienced it in Ballarat like language and writing. I’m not getting 10 years before I’d moved and I had moved that regular exposure and practice and being like this would not happen to me in that really sucks. 2015. And although it didn’t happen in such an explicit way and no one yelled at me or An attribute of my culture of being Thai anything there was still that underlying would always be like you can’t go to message of ingrained racism. someone else’s house without bringing gift and that’s just a part of who I am. I still have a very strong connection and That generosity and thoughtfulness I relationship with my family even though would say is very Thai and the whole thing we do live far apart. I think that growing of paying for their meals, you never let up in a very Western oriented world being you guest pay for anything. That sort of from Phuket and from Thailand, from the level of generosity I think applies across get go it was always really hard for me to a lot of cultures but is very ingrained connect with my culture. My parents were within me. really pushing this agenda of making sure I was bilingual, made sure I was exposed to I really enjoyed celebrating festivals, Western society and cultures and views even especially when I was younger that were from a young age. very physically involved and was fun at a surface level. On Chinese New Year we celebrate and obviously I’d love Chinese I didn’t fully feel super New Year because I get pocket money. connected to my culture I love Thai cuisine and in that it’s pretty because I grew up in this globalised, and you can certainly go to a divide of two worlds, even Thai restaurant in any city or a town these though I was physically days. Food is really important, I think it’s a massive part of our culture. located in Thailand. I went to a school full of international Something that I would students, and everything was taught in always really look forward English so I had always felt a little bit to and what I think really separated from my culture growing up. fondly of is the feeling of We still in the most basic sense spoke Thai at home and we celebrated Thai culture being home and eating Thai like festivals or celebrations. Growing up food that’s authentic and the more I learned about it the more I felt yummy three meals a day. comfortable in my own skin and knew what I wanted to do I felt more connected A lot of the association I have with my to my culture. culture is very centred around my parents and my family because whenever I go Half my friends were Thai and half my home I go home to see them. And so friends were not so I did feel pretty I can’t separate my experience of my immersed within the culture and the society culture and my parents so it’s really at home. Having moved overseas it’s made hard for me to speak from a personal or staying connected to my culture a lot reflective point of view. harder. As soon as I felt a strong sense of I knew who I was, my identity and my culture and my background, was always with me and a part of me. But given the pandemic and the fact that I’ve not physically been home or exposed to my culture in two years has made it really hard and I do feel It would have been different while I was I think that when I was younger it was living at home because I would have my harder for me to embrace my culture own experience of my culture, probably a than it is now. And I think that a lot of little bit more separated from my family. that stems from the fact that because I Looking back my culture would have to went to an international school growing be associated with Mom and Dad, up, I was still weirdly a minority within food, and sister. my social setting. My culture was never a majority. When you’re younger you have I really don’t experience any this social pressure to be like everyone else level of racism at all when I’m and it’s very common for you to want to be similar to other people around you and in the context of people our to mirror them. Now that I’m older, I don’t age or our generation. see it as being an issue. Obviously I would never experience racism from my friends because they’re not racist. I don’t see that me being But the one thing I’ve noticed is a lot of the different from someone racism I experienced on a day to day basis else is something I need to are from older generations. And a lot of acknowledge. the comments that I get aren’t necessarily racist outright, but has an underlying tone I don’t really care that I’m not the of racism and things like offhanded very majority or if I’m the minority, it doesn’t casual comments. matter to me in my day to day life. I’ve I have now valued parts of grown up and become more comfortable So I work as a medical receptionist and I in my own skin and who I am and my deal with people who come through who values, which happened to be connected are older, just because of the nature of healthcare. That would really be the only to my culture. Australian culture as a part of my own identity, even time I am exposed to such a wide range Obviously I love Thai cuisine and of demographic, because otherwise my everything about it. I feel like the things though I’m not Australian. friends are very similar in every sense. But I that are really niche to Thai cuisine are get comments like your English is so good. delicacies like salted egg or certain fruits I had bought lunch in and it was wrapped or veggies that you can only get when in beeswax wrap then this physio came I’m at home. If I had to eat one thing for in who’s probably in her 50s. She was like Australian music, art or the rest of my life I would say pad see ew. ‘what is that’ and ‘that’s so interesting did The one food that’s really prominent in your people make it, I’ve never seen it before my memory is, it’s almost like a dessert. industries I feel like I’ve like was it from your people’. Like it was You get a cube of palm sugar and then inherently Asian to use beeswax wrap. And I you wrap that in rice flour or like mochi, very much been a part of was taken aback by it and I’m not scared of it’s gelatinous and quite light. And then confronting people so I explained it’s called you coat it in desiccated coconut, and beeswax wrap it’s actually readily available and have been picked up then you boil it. And so it cooks the flour everywhere you should look it up, it’s really and then it melts the sugar inside. And good it’s sustainable. I don’t know it’s just as part of my identity and so when you eat it’s really sweet and it’s very subtle in the sense where it’s like the really chewy. It’s a very traditional and wording and the context. local sweet you can only get from fresh I guess a lot of my experience is showing markets. Every morning my mom would get it for me from the fresh market and what I identify with. how it is very generational and how it can that’s my favourite, I’ve always loved it be very ingrained within their beliefs and since I was really young. It’s not contradicting their views. Even though they don’t realise it or I want to give them the benefit of the doubt and say they’re not realising the fact that things are saying a racist. with who I am of Asian descent whatsoever. Dan I’m currently finishing my design course As a kid you don’t realise I’m different or and I work part time as a graphic designer. anything unless you actually get bullied Still in the early days of my career, I also for it. Then I moved primary schools to a do digital art and illustration on the more Asian area and that was when I sort side as well. of felt like this is different. I sort of fit in Truong a little bit more in that there were more I’m Vietnamese, my parents were both born friends who I could relate to even though in Vietnam and they moved here in the they also weren’t Vietnamese. They were late 90s. I grew up in a pretty Vietnamese mostly Cantonese speaking friends and household and my parents didn’t speak Chinese speaking backgrounds. And then English when they came here. So I learned I went to high school in the area with a Vietnamese from an early age and I also decent Asian population so I fit right in went to Vietnamese school. I was definitely and never really felt left out, because more into Vietnamese culture and music I was Asian. and stuff when I was a kid, because I didn’t really have exposure to Australian songs or I definitely have a pretty strong English music until I was in school. connection to my culture. I don’t necessarily do the same traditions that I grew up in Richmond which was where a my parents did like having an altar, lot of the Vietnamese community were so following the lunar calendar, and stuff like I never really had to struggle. It’s because that but I think I would still cherry pick we were just around the right people who the important traditions. Doing things could help us and my parent’s networks and like Lunar New Year, making offerings to all of their friends and families. I remember your ancestors but I don’t have an altar I really noticed that my upbringing was here, but I feel like I would definitely have different when I went to primary school an altar when my parents passed away. because I went to primary school in the far I would imagine that it’s something that east and a pretty western suburb. I was one they would want me to have. So I would of the only few Asian kids in the cohort. follow that tradition even if I didn’t particularly want an altar in my house I would go to school and the kids would I would do it. be talking about the footy, watching the footy, going to the footy on the weekend I definitely feel connected but I didn’t know what any of it was about. to my culture because I As a kid I was really into my Disney stuff, I was really into Snow White, Mulan and understand the nuances of Pinocchio. My parents would still show me where it comes from, the Disney shows and a lot of Western kids tv sort of trauma that my but I guess specifically music wise, I didn’t parents and Vietnamese listen to it because it was CDs so we just people have gone through listened to Asian music all the time. with the war. I never really noticed I understand where the sense of anything or don’t think I was community and that need to hold on to bullied for being Asian. your culture comes from. There have been attempts to erase their culture before so There’s no right way For some reason whatever reason, the it’s really important to try and carry it on. school was pretty good I was accepted I’m Anyway, so there’s no one right way to be not gonna lie. Sure I was different in terms Vietnamese or Vietnamese Australian, but to be Vietnamese of my life, interests, I would go to tutoring it’s important to do it in whatever way you and in language school that never really feel you need to. concerned anybody else. But I definitely felt like my parents were different. My parents Australian. took school more seriously or they wouldn’t just let me have a day off if I was sick and stuff like that. So, I guess in that respect I thought they were slightly more strict than some of my other friends. It’s always the celebrations that are always me for this or there are politicians who really fun and I think one of my favourite discriminate against people of colour. traditions is that we have a lot of family There still are microaggressions and a gatherings like anniversaries of death, Lunar certain attitude that goes around even New Year, even just birthdays and my family if it’s not directly at you. Sometimes gathers all the time. Some families see each you hear people speak ill of the Asian other only once at Christmas and that’s it, community or they generalise all the but we see each other for lunar new year, Asians in Boxhill for example, it’s not Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s directly towards you but it’s still racist. day, anniversaries of death. So we’re pretty tight knit as a family which I guess is a I think when I was younger I didn’t like by-product of being a refugee family. eating Asian food at school because when They’ve been through times where they all the white kids would ask ‘hey, what are didn’t know whether or not they were ever you eating?’ I didn’t know what to say and going to see each other again. The fact if I said it had fish sauce they would say that all seven of my dad’s siblings managed ‘ew that stinks’. I didn’t like eating food to make it here and stay in contact after that I couldn’t describe to other people. taking boats to Australia is pretty crazy. So that’s something that my family does and that’s something they don’t take for But I guess when I was a kid I granted so that sense of family to me is wasn’t proud of eating Asian something that I am quite fond of. food as I wasn’t proud of being Asian. Lunar New Year or the As a kid I was always like why do I have to mid autumn festival with go to language school like some people mooncakes and just the kind don’t go to language school. But I guess of clothing that you get to now I’m glad that I did go so I’ve become wear is amazing. more proud of being Asian. As I grew up, people become more knowledgeable about culture and they celebrate it more. I get to wear áo dài and the kinds of foods So you sort of have more reasons to be that we eat having a banquet with one proud of it. big giant gathering and eating traditional foods, there’s nothing that can really I love glutinous rice cake like banh bo. compare to it. I love desserts so I love coconut waffles in the heart shapes. I love skewered pork like I guess I was never in any positions of nem neong, the honey glazed pork on a immediate danger from racism or anything skewer. Just going into the grocery store traumatic but you do get microaggressions. I like to get pocky, yam yam or hello People assume things. I think as well there’s panda those kind of snacks. I love all a lot people who assume your culture, and kinda of Vietnamese food like broken it happens a lot like when I was working rice or Vietnamese pancake. I love fresh in retail sometimes people would come coconut and roast pork and peking duck, up to me and just started speaking to me any sort of food when you’re celebrating in Chinese. Then I’d be like, ‘sorry, I don’t is so good. understand’ I didn’t speak Chinese, and they would just shake their head at me. They assume that I was Chinese but I am just not Chinese. I’ve just learned to like be okay with it, you know that it can happen and you sort of accept that even if it doesn’t happen all the time which is a good thing. You still sort of in the back of your head you know that someone could discriminate against Mega My name is Mega and I just recently completed my Masters of Applied Linguistics, here at Monash, and I’ve been living in Australia for two years and two who went inside the building without scanning this QR code. And this security person was totally fine with that but with us he suddenly stopped us. He said, ‘do Samalaty months. So I came here recently for my you mind if you do the scan first?’ You’re postgraduate course. not clearly saying that it is racism but more through behaviour. I’m from Indonesia and in Indonesia we do not really understand what actual liberty is Back at home I’m not really proud of like. The democracy makers really submit to being an Asian. We live in a country where our government. But here, you can at the there are a lot of rules and regulations same time submit to government, but at you have to follow. But now, I have come the same time people can do anything they to understand that’s the most important want. So I think it’s sort of interesting, in thing in life. You need to listen to what Indonesia we do not really have that the authorities and elders say but at the kind of liberty. same time it doesn’t mean you can’t do anything. It does mean you need to We have 1000s of islands. So I live in the express your feelings. I think this is sort of Eastern part of Indonesia, we call it East interesting because I find a lot of my local Timor. 80% of us, we were influenced friends, my white Caucasian friends, they because we were ruled by Portuguese and do not have this patience to listen first to Dutch. So our culture is similar, our parents other people and arguments. But instead and elders who are so strict, you need to they try to answer all of it giving all the listen to your parents. Everything is about explanation which I sometimes find you the elder coming first, and then after that need to listen first. you can think about yourself. But nowadays people come to understand about equality so in my generation it wouldn’t be like that. That makes me proud being an Asian in the sense that For me personally, there are some cultures you have this patience to or habits I adopt or adapt for example back listen to others. at home, when we are talking to someone who is older than us, we must use an There’s no difference between your right honorific. You should address with Mr or hand or left hand but in Indonesia when Mrs but here you can just call their name. you give something to someone, you must So I think that’s one part of the culture that not give it to them with your left hand. It I sort of adapted. is considered rude and impolite. My favourite thing about my culture is the kiss the Maori people also do which is the same in Indonesia. When we meet up with people, especially Back at home I’m our relatives or family, what we usually do is a nose kiss. This is a little bit strange, perhaps for others, or could be unique but I find it creates bonding among us. not really proud of I don’t think people intentionally express racism but you can sort of feel from their behaviour. I remember me and my other being an Asian. friend from Southeast Asia went to uni because at the time everyone in the unit building had to scan all the QR codes. There were a couple of local girls, Caucasian girls, I would say my favourite Indonesian food would be chicken smoor. It’s similar to chicken with soy sauce but in Indonesia we use sweet soy sauce and soy sauce. For drinks I like es buah, es means ice in English and buah is fruit. So you need to chop all the fruit together with syrup, condensed milk and ice. Usually we have it when our Muslim friends are having their fasting time and then we have it to break the fast together. Sarah I was born in Melbourne, but both my parents are from the Philippines and I’m 23 years old. I’m in my last year studying Arts and Law. I’ll be graduating soon and know how to speak Filipino anymore rather than happy that I didn’t know it. There’s still lots of things I can do to learn about my background and reflect on my Hicking transitioning into the world of work. I’ve challenges of growing up. grown up in Melbourne, all my life. I think I definitely have a strong My parents were very much part of their connection to my Filipino culture through culture and I grew up in a family that really my family and when I go back to the wants to preserve their relationships and Philippines. I have a very tight family that was very important for me growing connection so that makes it easier to feel botham up. I still have a lot of family back in the like I have a very strong connection to Philippines but also a lot of family that have my culture. Also just the way my parents migrated to Australia. are very proud of being Filipino and even just how they run their home, and how Growing up, although I have very strong we grew up. I’m also very connected to Filipino roots I grew up pretty Western. I Australian culture here and I’m more went to a normal state primary school, used to a multicultural kind of Western kindergarten, and high school. culture. I have an Australian accent and I’m very used to city suburban living, I love Melbourne and Australia and I feel So I guess my experience of strongly in being Australian. culture, and the longing, were very different to my friends I think there are definitely around me. times where I think I felt like I always really struggled to kind of deal with I was kind of changing my the embarrassment and shame about my identity according to who I culture, just because I was very much the was with. only Filipino, but also one of the only Asians. And so I always remember like I always This was because most of my friends were call my sister Ate, which means big sister not Filipino and only a few of them were in Filipino but at the time I was like I don’t Asian. I feel like I kind of lost a strong want to use that word anymore because it’s sense of my culture when I was with them embarrassing. Looking back on that firstly, and they didn’t see what my culture was it hurt my sister but also metaphorically for like unless they came to my house or me was kind of just an example of the kind met my family. shame I had and wanting to be like all the other Western friends that I had. The favourite thing about my culture is probably the sense of family and I definitely had moments in community that I think is very different to primary school where I’d been a lot of Western culture here in Australia. discriminated for my skin Not that it’s completely different but it’s quite different in the sense of close colour and I think those kind knittedness and even if we’re in other of things hurt me. countries we’re always there for each other. We always visit each other and so I never really talked about them to anyone. some of my fondest memories are big But it’s only literally been until finishing family holidays or reunions. I was really ashamed high school and becoming more proud of my culture and background that I think just came with time and maturity, and also of my skin colour. exposure to other people in their reflections of it as well. Other Asian Australians would be like, ‘oh my gosh I felt that too’. I’m actually starting to feel sad that I don’t Because of my culture, I’ve close I don’t think we really talked about grown up with a really strong these things because she didn’t feel them the same way as me. I guess it was just sense of family and that something that I didn’t really feel like I being very important to me. should talk about. It’s definitely shaped who I am. The memories I have, one of the most vivid ones, is I’ve always had people living with me and my parents when I was back at I definitely feel much more my parents house. We always had a cousin comfortable in my skin and I living with us, there was always someone think there’s still ways that living with us. And they become my other I would like to grow to feel Ate big sister or Kuya, like my big brother much more comfortable with and it would just be very normal to always have someone living with us. And so it’s like who I am, and embracing my a very open home as well. So I think that’s culture even more. one of my favourite memories, and my parents being very open and giving. I recognise that people are becoming more open, and I think especially in Melbourne, My experience of racism was never extreme I feel like there’s lots more tolerance and like as you’d see in other people’s lives or exposure to people from different cultures. what you’d see on the news but it was But I definitely think there’s still a lot very jokey I guess. In primary school, a lot of racism that I have identified in more of people called me ‘chocolate’ and kind subtle ways. of be like ‘how’d your skin get so dark’ I would never forget it. There was a time I My favourite food and I love to have them was so scared, I was really ashamed of my on birthdays, and it’s just a celebration, skin colour that I’d want to scrub my skin, it’s a really simple meal but it’s called beef so that my lighter skin colour would come pochero. And it’s basically just beef stew out under my exfoliated skin. I would try to with really nice vegetables and pressure keep out of the sun, because I tan so easily. cooked beef that comes off the bone. I I think that was a really sad moment in love a lot of Filipino desserts and going to my life for my mum to see how much I was a family party where there’s always like ashamed of my self image, and how much twenty desserts because everyone just those kind of small comments meant to me. brings different things. I really love Halo Halo and it’s basically this ice drink with Other instances in high school, I think it was lots of different fruit and ube. never direct but it was just something like they’d call me the name of someone else with dark skin, because they just couldn’t remember the difference of our names, which is generally embarrassing and made me feel like I wasn’t known. It almost was kind of a joke, and kind of a funny thing like ‘it’s really hard to remember, I know you both have brown skin’. And I think also people finding my lunch weird or if they come over to my home and they say ‘what is this food’ and maybe not want to eat it. I feel that if I had more people to talk about these things I would have been more willing to address them. And I felt like the only context that I could really bring it up is when I was sad and crying to my mum or even though my sister and I were so Sharon I’m from Malaysia, born and bred and worked there. I married an Australian and that’s why the cross culture came in. Then after getting married we had a daughter and became an adult I needed some private space. That’s the part that I don’t really miss, being too communal with space. McIntosh and when she was four years old my In the US at a butcher store the worker husband got transferred to the US. I lived in thought I didn’t know how to speak English the US for eleven years and then we came or people think I’m Vietnamese in the US. to Australia to live for eight years. When my Here I had an encounter in Blackburn in husband wanted to do ministry work we the carpark with an older gentleman and went back to the US again for two and a it just happened that my trolley hit the half years. He studied and got ordained and car side mirror. It just touched but nothing came back in 2018 and planted churches. happened and he yelled at me and was a bit rude and harassing me. It’s not even his In the US I was the only Chinese girl car and we kept on accusing each other amongst all the Americans I knew except very loudly. I didn’t really know what he one Japanese student. Then later another meant, whether he’s racist or not. person who came was a Filippino lady who married an American. Then coming back At the supermarket I was looking at things here we lived in Blackburn and at first it was and they thought that I jumped the queue. more Caucasian at the time but now it’s Chinese people will do that, jumping the mostly Chinese. So that’s where that little queue is very common like if you go to change from being mostly Western people Boxhill or somewhere else. I didn’t do it but to more Chinese happened. I was accused of something like that. I think I am different and I like to try new People assume that a certain things. In Malaysia I worked in a bank called Citibank which is multinational and race will act a certain way I worked with a lot of Americans, Filipino, and thankfully there’s not all sorts of people like Brazilian as well. It many, but it still happens. was multicultural there in the workplace itself and therefore I’m used to multicultural My favourite food I would say the fruit people. And I like the multicultural setup. is durian. Also Indian rojak which is a Australia is Western and the US is also Malaysia style, where they have cut up root Western so I like the fit. vegetable you can’t get here. I really like this drink with coconut sugar, coconut milk and a herbal bubble tea. I cook Malaysian I like to be, you call it, food for my friends like curry, beef rendang, minority in the US and not so nasi lemak, coconut rice with sambal and much minority in Australia. fried bee hoon. I like Western food you know sometimes I I’m used to like a steak, but other than that I still like my Chinese food. The food that I would like to carry on is from Chinese New Year where we like to celebrate especially with Chinese multicultural people. I like the mooncake you have on the mooncake festival. I still talk to my mother who is very traditional without changing and understanding her ways. people, I like the My favourite part of growing up is playing with my cousins because mainly Asians are very communal with their living. As multicultural setup. a young girl I like that I got to go to my grandmother’s house a lot and got to know my grandmother, and became close to my aunties and uncles. When I was growing up If you ask me where’s my home is it back in Malaysia? I would say no, because I’ve grown out of it already. There’s so many things that are different already like the weather, I can’t stand the heat and everything like that so the conditions are different. My home is of course with my husband and my life moves on. Jenny My name is Jenny, I was born in the middle of nowhere in South Korea and then I grew up in Gangnam. When I was 10 with my family we immigrated to Australia. I’m now When it came to high school I went back to international school so it was a bit different. Culturally, it was a lot more relaxed in terms of differences. Growing Han a radiographer, my parents own a small up I think a lot of my heritage was sort business and my brother’s a physiotherapist. of suppressed as well. I tried so hard to get rid of the accent and practice with TV In Australia there’s this program for new shows that I used to watch like Neighbor’s immigrants for new arrivals in primary and Simpsons. I would have been one of school and I was partnered with other those who assimilated into instead of students who had just immigrated. They going through my heritage. My brother basically focused on our weaknesses which was the opposite and thought I am is speaking language. Coming from Korea, Korean and I’m Korean in my nationality English is not a thing that they speak. We but I was more I’m Australian and I don’t do know the alphabet but not enough to be really feel free. conversational or to write. When I go back to Korea After a year of that I graduated out of the to visit family my grandma new arrivals program, they deemed me conversational enough that I could go join always says, I’m a foreigner the mainstream class. I moved from the city even though I grew up where the program was to all the way to in Korea. Marion, which is down south. I got thrown in the deep end with primary school as I think Just because I don’t have that higher that’s when I first realised how much of a order of thinking when it comes to just cultural difference there is compared to little cultural nuances. In Australia I can an Asian culture. talk about philosophical or political stuff easily and readily but you can’t do that Most of all everyone’s so relaxed when it in Korea. I definitely feel more Australian came to doing stuff, coming from Korea than I would be Korean. I can understand where everything’s regimented. You have to where the Koreans are coming from but sit up straight at all times, that if you don’t I wouldn’t be able to make that my view, do something right you’ll get hit with a my views are a lot more Australian stick, every week we would have six different than Korean. subjects and six different tests so that was a big difference. And for the students I I still enjoy a lot of Korean food. The whole think were quite surprised about me as well cultural respect for elders has a really because I couldn’t speak any English and big sentiment when it comes to Asian everyone else around me did. cultures, and that’s something that I still do to a degree. Whenever I’m in Australia No one understood how to us it’s like I do go by the meritocracy, I respect people who have merits but I also difficult it is for a child to respect people who have been in the job go through not having for a while and have that experience and that language. older than me. That’s something that I still I definitely feel more hold to this day. So a little bit of bullying going on at the start but I came across the lack of mathematics, so even though they sort of Australian than I went on like ‘she can’t speak in English so you must be stupid’, I sort of curved that by going actually, I know how to do calculus when you guys don’t even know how to would be Korean. do times tables. I taught them how to do times tables and through interacting I made friends through that. There’s lots of casual racism, Chuseok is a mid autumn festival but when people say there’s Korean, so it’s like a harvest festival. The specific food for festivals like that or New no racism in Australia Year’s Eve like tteokguk which is a rice they’re lying. cake soup. I worked at a bakery since I was 15 and in hospitality there’s lots of racism when So we gather around and it comes to ‘why are you taking the jobs make the food ourselves of Australian people that could have had together and that was a jobs’. Then you have to argue no, I am cultural thing that they Australian, I am a naturalised citizen. When COVID started I started work at Berri, that do in Korea. was a major difference. There was lots of judgement at the start, small things like For New Year’s I make the effort to go some patients will go like ‘I’m sure you did down to my family so we can make my massage in the massage parlour what food together or for birthdays you drink are you doing in the hospital?’ No, it’s just seaweed soup that’s a thing that you do. me I don’t do massages, I’m a radiographer. So on birthdays I make the seaweed soup Or saying Asian people are so submissive, even though I’m not very good at cooking. they’re so good, that sort of a thing as well. I used to hide a lot more than before, I would always be like I was born here just to get no questions about things that happened. I’m not very open about it, I say that I’m Korean but I accept it a lot more than when I used to hide it in high school and in primary school where all they wanted was for me to speak English and be normal. Now I am who I am and I grew up like this and it’s an advantage to me and an advantage to everyone else around me because they get to experience two different cultures in one. My favourite food is fried chicken. Drinks I had were milkis and I also like tteokbokki it’s like spicy rice cakes. I always have a list of things that I take to Korea of food that I need to eat when I’m in Korea. It’s sentimental things that I used to eat when I was little, like jjajangmyun which is black bean noodles.
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