I was born in a small village in the north of Vietnam where I lived with my mother and father and my two brothers and little sister. My family had a business, a shop selling groceries. In 1946 a war broke out in our country which made life very difficult for my parents and many other people. When the north defeated the south, people did not have any freedom and the economy went down day after day. In 1978 my family decided to escape the communist government and we travelled to Australia in a small boat. We were very worried about robbers when we were in the boat and the ocean was very rough causing many people to be sick. I was only very young (perhaps 5 or 6 years old) but I still remember the feeling of arriving in Australia. After everything that had happened in Vietnam, I remember feeling very relieved to be able to step on safe land.
At first we stayed in a refugee camp. We had nothing when we arrived, we had to leave everything behind and start all over again. The first few months were particularly hard. My brothers and sister and I found the food so different from what we were used to, and we had upset tummies for some time. Australia was a huge culture shock. My dad had to learn English and we kids learnt English at school. Mum and dad started a plant nursery and after school and on the weekends I remember helping to pot plants. I know a lot about gardening now but I got very sick of it when I was growing up. My parents have worked extremely hard and have built up a very successful life here in Australia. As a result, all of us children have been able to go to university and have good careers.
Coming from an Asian country was difficult as many people were prejudiced against us at first. Slowly we came to understand our new country and we have always been so grateful for being able to live here. For me, being Australian means having a safe environment and a great lifestyle to bring up my own children.
Giao Nguyen, taken from Previous Diary Entries, 2009.