New Beginnings

Here I was happy and excited to soon meet my family in Sydney. I had visited before but this time I was coming with an intention to stay and make a new home in this land soooooooooooooooooooooooo far away from my own homeland. Coming Downunder from a developing country like Pakistan was a big decision from me. I loved my own city, and was sad to leave my family and friends back home but looking forward to this new phase of my life. Confident that with a good exposure to different cultures, my professional experience and personal skills I will soon be one of the successfully settled Skilled Migrants in Australia.

The first few days I just enjoyed taking in the natural beauty. Everytime we went on a ride, I was struck by the beautiful horizon- the clear blue skies with white feathery clouds scattered here and there, the lovely beaches and trees almost everywhere you looked. Sydney certainly is a sight for sore eyes. Watching the Harbour bridge from the ferry, enjoying the cool sea breeze while taking in the scenic tourist attractions at the Circular Quay were the most relaxing times.

But I was not just a tourist, I was here to stay and build a new life.....this is when things started getting complex. My earlier excitement soon faded as I realised I had no contacts, no professional referees. I was lucky to be living with family but after a very productive life and a successful career, I was to start all over again at the age of 40. This was daunting. I know this is not an isolated case, I am just one of the thousands of immigrants who chose to move to the developed world in search of brighter prospects. Although, my own incentive was really family as I was very happy with my earlier life..still, I had to make a place for myself in this new city.

Always a firm believer in positive thinking and a keen learner I engaged myself into studies, learning new skills and learning about the Australian culture and workplace environment. I soon learnt that applying for jobs online was not that effective, it was more important to start networking, meeting people and building your contacts. The Global Financial Crisis had made it tough for people already settled here for many years, so finding a job was even more difficult for a new immigrant.

Apart from the job hunt, it was not easy to deal with the feeling of homesickness, I missed my friends terribly and my busy life. The social isoltaion made me seek familiar faces in the crowd. Initially, I would be fascinated to see someone from my own background and would eargerly establish contact. This is how I made some friends in my neighbourhood, just walking from the bus stop back home I would spot a friendly face and strike a conversation.

I realized that when we keep living in one place we take so many things for granted- the system, the people around us, cultural norms, behaviours, attitudes, dress codes, food, our work....but when we are required to interact with people from other cultures we realize how little we know. While there are some universal norms, each culture has its peculiar behaviours. The beauty of Australia is that no matter where we came from we all slowly adopted the Australian culture- Good Day Mate, No Worries and lollies(candies) are some expressions found only on this side of the world.

Guided by my family and mainly through my own personal efforts, I found useful resources and networks. Bullettin boards in the local library are a good starting point. I learnt about NSW AMES and the Skilled Migrant Mentoring Program. Both these places were excellent starting points. I am especially very fortunate to have an excellent teacher at NSW AMES who encouraged me and believed in me. She gave me reference of a former colleague who was working at a very credible NGO and this was the start of my wonderful association with them.

It's now been a little more than a year and I find myself little less anxious, I have learnt so much from my voluntary work with the community organisations and work experience at the headoffice of a top computer company. Still the journey has just started and there is a long way to go.....