Farhat

From Pakistan to Warragul

I am a South Asian woman who was born into a Muslim family. That’s who I think I am. I am not Pakistani and I am not Indian. I think there’s a bigger identity that I have.

I believe I need to own my own identity and space where I can say this is my principle about life, which is humanity. I like to relate to people as human beings, rather than Muslims or Christians or Jews.

I observe most Muslim practices. I don’t eat pork. I’m not a drinker. I respect elders, public property and nature. The basic ideas are there, quite instilled in me. But I don’t think I need to fit in a box to be human.

My parents were born in India. They migrated to Pakistan with their parents in 1947 during the Partition of India. So I was born in Pakistan, the youngest of four children.

My mum was a mid-wife, on call all of the time. She was also the main carer for my grandparents and my maternal uncle. Mum had a lot on her plate, but she still managed to smile, laugh and enjoy the small things in life. Growing up, I observed her running the show. I had a great admiration for her strength. All the strength I have comes from her.

I first came to Melbourne as an international student in 2007. I completed a Master’s of Development Studies and then moved home in 2009. I had my baby in Pakistan and worked for a few years as a gender advisor for UN Women.

There came a time when it felt like it wasn’t safe for me to continue working in that role. That’s when I decided to come back to Australia.

I knew Australia and I thought I could go and settle there. So I came as an international student once again, leaving my partner and daughter in Pakistan.

It took four months before my partner and daughter could join me. It was quite a painful time for me. I was studying a Graduate Diploma of Counselling, but I didn’t have a job and I was hoping I would get a job, because that’s been a major part of my identity, always.

I worked in a food court until I landed my first proper job in the services sector, eight months after I arrived.

I moved to Warragul in West Gippsland at the start of 2015. I was attracted to the greenery and the farmland, and had secured a permanent role in social services. We bought a house here a couple of years ago, and my daughter doesn’t want to be anywhere else.

Adjusting to the Australian way of life has had its challenges.

When I first came here, I thought I knew English. I didn’t know Aussie English. I didn’t feel comfortable speaking up or saying anything. I was doubting myself. Now people think I’ve been here for ages, which I haven’t.

I’ve volunteered and worked in roles I was over-qualified for. I didn’t think I would have to do all of this to get back to my feet. Sometimes people struggle to even get a job, for years. So I’m happy with the progress I’ve made. I now work as a Multicultural Strategic Engagement Coordinator in Gippsland, creating systemic change for the culturally and linguistically diverse communities in the region.

Isolation is another big issue. Especially living in a regional area, it becomes quite huge. My biggest barrier is I don’t want to pretend I am this or that, and I don’t want to hide who I am either.

People who have diverse backgrounds – they bring their culture, their traditions, their experiences to the host community, and the host community gives back what they have experienced during the last 60, 80-odd years. It’s an exchange rather than one community giving and another receiving. And I think if we have that mindset towards multiculturalism in Australia, we could go places.