» Read the Arabic version of this story

Author: Kamal Aziz
Storyteller: Kamal Aziz
Community Language School: St Mina’s Arabic School
Main School: to be added

My aunty was born on 9th July and she is the fifth daughter of two generous parents.

My aunt’s education

My aunty was born on the 9th of July and she is the 5th daughter of two generous parents. They are Grandmother Nadia and Grandfather George. They lived in El-Fayoum in Egypt. My aunt went to El-Tawfik Primary School. She got really good marks and after primary school she went to secondary school. The secondary school she went to was called Tawfik Secondary School. After that she went to a girls’ High school in El-Fayoum. She got a very good mark that allowed her to attend a very important and good university.

She studied engineering for five years at the University of Fan Gamil. She finished university in 1988. In 1987 she married a man by the name of Emad. He was an engineer himself. They had their first son in 1998 and named him David.

Migration

They migrated to Australia in 1991 and settled in the suburb of Campsie. She started learning English at Tafe and the New South Wales government helped her a lot with her English course. She also took engineering courses to get used to the Australian engineering styles.

The Church also greeted them warmly and she was happy. She became a Sunday School teacher herself and she still teaches till this day. In 1993 she had her second child, a girl named Maria. At the beginning of 1994 my family and my aunt’s family went to Egypt. We had a great time. In 1997 a second girl was born.

My uncle Joseph came from Egypt to Australia for a visit and stayed in Australia for one year. He said Australia was really good and helped him a lot because he got to know things that weren’t in Egypt.

Church

The church helped my aunty in a lot of ways. She was given the chance to send her children to a vacation centre to help her do the housework in peace in the holidays. The church also made an Arabic class to help the children communicate with their relatives in Egypt. The church also has a Sunday school that helps us physically, mentally and spiritually. We learn about Jesus, our faith and it also teaches us how live healthily, like not take drugs or smoking.

My cousin David did well in primary school and now he is in Penrith High Selective School. His sisters are also doing well in primary school. My aunty now works as a sales lady for Avon and Mr Emad has a job in a governmental department.