» Read the Arabic version of this story

Author: Mina Ibrahim
Storyteller: Mina Ibrahim
Community Language School: St Mary & St Mina’s Arabic School
Main School: Kogarah Marist College

The story of how I settled into life in Australia.

Hi. My name is Mina and I am fourteen years old. I have one brother who is turning ten, and one sister who is twelve years old
I am now living in Sydney, Australia. Ever since I came here my life has changed. I am very thankful to my parents who left all their riches in Egypt and came here so I could get a good education and become a successful person.

It all started when I was born into a wealthy family in Egypt. I lived with my family in a nice house close to the beach and all our relatives lived close by.

When I became almost old enough to start high school, my parents were very worried about what benefits there would be for me to stay in Egypt. So they started to think about what they should do. My parents were not familiar with other countries and that is the reason why they couldn’t do anything earlier.
My uncle was living in Australia. He went there because of the same problem we were facing. He told us that Australia was a beautiful country and the education over there was the best. As soon as my dad heard this he bought tickets to come to Australia. Before we knew it we had packed our bags and were really excited about coming.

When we arrived in Australia, we were so excited and talked about where we were going to go. Sydney airport was great and huge and the people in Australia were really kind to us. Our uncle let us stay at his place for a while until we could find a place to live. He had a big house and it was different to houses in Egypt.

When I started school I had lots of fun on the first day. The students were really kind and it was really easy to make friends. The teachers were nice and friendly and I enjoyed talking with them. They all helped me to learn English fast.

After we had settled in and got used to Australia, everything became very easy for us. I started going to church with my uncle and his family, which I enjoyed very much. I made a lot of friends there.

I was really thankful to my parents for all their sacrifices.

Now you know my story and how Australia has changed my life and made me a better person. I am grateful for what this country did for my family and I.