Finally an Australian!!!
Five years ago, we came to Adelaide a small city town in South Australia. I have to admit, I really didnt know where we were off to, till a week before leaving Pakistan for good. To me Australia was mainly the two cities I had heard of, Sydney and Melbourne. When Mustafa told me we are going to Adelaide, I didn’t focus much on it, and probably thought it was like an area in the two main big cities, like a suburb or something !!
Our journey to Australia first time was one of the worst flights I’ve ever had in my life. Firstly it started at the Karachi airport, where the immigration wont let me through as there were issues with my passport / visa. Thanks to a rich business man who saw me, crying at the counter, (btw when I say crying, I REALLY was crying with tears!!) he requested the authorities to check again and some how let us go. His name is, Happy Minwalla - http://www.pakistaneconomist.com/issue2000/issue36/etc1.htm Even today looking back I thank him a thousand times for helping us that day. When we got on the plane, because of all the stress and tension of going to a new place FOREVER hit me BAD !! I was continuously vomiting and had the worst fever ever.
Anyway, after reaching the airport we caught a cab, it was a Saturday after 5pm and we couldn’t see a single soul on the road. I was so amazed, obviously coming from Karachi, one of the busiest cities on the planet and then reaching Adelaide, seemed like we have reached the land of the dead. I asked Mustafa,” where are the people?!”, and he having a great sense of humor, said, ” they must have found out we are coming, so left everything and ran away!!!”
Our first day was at a back packers hostel, they said in the travelers guide, ” its a home away from home”, which is just what we wanted. Although for me, it was a ” shock away from home!” because when we walked in, the first thing I saw was a hot looking guy in shorts, no shirt, wearing thongs standing in the middle of the corridor waved his hand saying ” Hey mate, how you doing?!! need some help?!” Looking back, now that feels so normal, but then it seemed a bit shocking to see so much bare skin (Couldn’t have even imagined then, I would become a body artist then and see so much bare skin almost everyday 
)
To get to here, I worked as a kitchen hand, checkout operator in Bilo and woolworths, doing markets every weekend, cooking food for Mustafa’s bachelor friends, eating heaps of cheap sausages, calling family members around the world, through a telephone booth near our house at totally wrong hours crying & complaining about Adelaide bla bla bla… these btw way are just a few of the activities that kept me busy and alive for along time. I made most of my friends at jobs and am very grateful to life for such amazing experiences. If i hadn’t come here,I would have lived happily with loads of servants around me, (almost like a princess!!) and never realized the true of meaning of being totally Independent!
I remember, when I walked into shops and galleries I dreamed of having my work in and was refused many times then, because I needed to answer one very simple question, “Are you an Australia Citizen?”, and of course the answers was “NO”, and so I couldn’t really get any further than that ! I only could dream to call myself an Australian then, and now once that is happened, I feel extremely blessed.
I was extremely scared and nervous to give the test and at first I thought, what a stupid idea for the government to do something like this. When I started reading the book, it all made so much sense. I loved the whole process and think it’s important to do the test for everyone, because it truly makes you understand the little things about the Australian culture, we tend to forget most times. I was totally unaware of so many little things that had happened in the history of making Australia and was educated through this test and completely feel it is necessary. Most of my friends studied all this information, while growing up and take it for granted, but to me it’s so important to understand the culture, I plan to call mine.
After the test and a waiting period for the pledge ceremony, on the 8th July 09, I finally became an Australian. On the day we were allowed four guest, if I could, I would have liked to invite way more people, because for me it was a huge night. In my heart and head, thousands of questions were popping up…good bad, sad happy lots of emotions stirring…anyway after the ceremony, we went out for drinks and dinner, and I was amazed SO MANY of our friends took out time to come and congratulate us in their country. It was such a special gesture from everyone, knowing how busy they are.
Me and Mustafa are still amazed by the people here, they have given us and continue to give to much love, it makes me cry of the day when I walked the Rundle mall, thinking, “how can I live here, I dont know anyone here?!” and today, I walk anywhere in Adelaide, feeling safe and surrounded by so many wonderful friends from around the world!! Thank you to all the people of this city, for gifting us so many happy memories of happiness with each one of you. We are both extremely lucky to be here and thank god for giving us such a wonderful family of friends, Love you all !!
Photography by Mandi Whitten – www.weensyweb.com
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