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SpineOut : December 2012
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out of africa 4 // home // caught reading // books // more books // your stuff // last bits // issue 14 // Dec 2012 - Jan 2013 >>> I came to Australia when I was 11 but I had only done a couple of years of schooling in Uganda. The only words I knew to say were Yes and No so whenever anyone spoke to me I just said Yes and No. I remember going to school and in the lunch break I sat by myself and didn’t know what to do. Other kids came up and spoke to me but I had no idea what they were saying so I just ignored them. I didn’t get any English lessons before I went to the Primary School so for months I sat in the classroom just looking at the teacher and if she spoke to me I just said Yes or No. >>> I remember arriving in Australia and going to our first house. The neighbours would say hello but I had no idea what they were saying. I was only 8 years old and I thought they were making fun of me. My Mum had to calm me down because I didn’t understand and I was really angry. I remember the first day of school, my uncle drove me but I hadn’t had time to do my hair. I was so scared I would get whipped if my hair was not tidy. I kept asking my uncle for a comb. When I arrived in the class I went straight up to the teacher and showed her my hands. She just looked at me and I had no idea what she was saying. I was just hoping my nails were clean enough and I wouldn’t get whipped. The first weeks I felt so confused and I was sure everyone was making fun of me. All I wanted to do was fight. Now when I think back about this experience I think it is really funny. >>> I am Sundanese but I lived in Egypt with my family before I came to Australia. I remember the first time my Mum gave me ice-cream. My Aunties were standing around and they were all laughing. I couldn’t understand what they were laughing about because I loved food. I put the ice-cream in my mouth and took a bite and I spat it out. I had never felt anything like this before. I had never had anything that cold and I had never seen ice before. My Mum and aunties laughed so much. I must say it didn’t put me off, I love ice-cream and anything sweet. My teacher tells me I have to look after my teeth, I didn’t realise your teeth rot from too many sweets. >>> I arrived into Australia in Melbourne because we caught the wrong flight. We stayed for a couple of hours and then flew up to Brisbane with my family. On the plane I felt so sick because they constantly bought food around. I was only used to eating twice a day and because I had been living with three families we had to share the food amongst many people. I had never used a knife and fork as we eat with our hands. Well as you know there is an etiquette to eating and you don’t eat with all of your hand only your tips of your fingers on your left hand. I learnt how to eat with a knife and fork from television. The first day at school I needed to go to the toilet and I put my hand up but I only know Arabic so I kept asking in Arabic. The teacher had no idea of what I was saying and they had to call my uncle to explain what I was saying. >>> I came to Australia three years ago from Egypt but my family were originally from Sudan. An important part of my week is going to Mass on Sunday. Our church has an African Priest and he delivers the Mass in Arabic and English. Many of our friends attend Mass in the morning and then we come back in the afternoon and listen to the priest Preach to us about the Bible. I have my own bible and since I lived in Egypt I have grown to know and understand each of the stories and how they can help me make decisions about my life. I love to sing and my sisters and I perform on the school’s cultural night some our favourite songs. Most people are surprised because I seem shy at school but when I perform I am actually confident and quite outgoing. >>> I am 14 years old and I have been in Australia for years. I remember arriving in Brisbane and it was all very exciting but also very scary. As we entered the city I saw all these lights and I was sure it was the airport. The only place I was used to seeing lit up was the airport so I was amazed to see so many lights in one place. Lucky Mach ariah victoria NasraiN ghazzi >>> I arrived in Sydney and thought I was going to be the only black person in the city living amongst all these white people. It wasn’t at all what I expected and I was actually shocked at the amount of difference. There were people of all colours and sizes. I had come from Egypt but my home is Sudan. In my first months in Australia I couldn’t speak any English but because I knew Arabic I could speak with the migrants from Lebanon. I remember watching Homer Simpson and I didn’t speak a word of English but I loved to watch the Simpsons and I remember laughing at Homer, I loved the way he behaved. I found this so funny. Slowly I started to learn how to read and speak English. At school, I am known for my constantly changing hair styles. One of my favourite past times is having my hair done. In Africa, the way your hair looks is very important and we like to change the style of our hair often. I think I am a really happy person and I try and encourage everyone to enjoy the moment. aLueL rowena
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