The novel, Looking for Alibrandi, the documentary, Australia Has No Winter and the poem, This is My House all describe the unique journeys which immigrants experience.

More often than not, migrants will encounter more negative experiences than positive experiences within their first few years of migration. Australia has no Winter, an ABC documentary film aimed at an educated adult audience, follows the migration of the Arbutina family. Like Katia, the Arbutina family moved to Australia and encountered an environment completely different from their home. Stefan, a Serbian is married to Georgia, a Croatian. They immigrated to Australia after the devastating civil war in Yugoslavia which made it impossible for them to find peace and security. Before their arrival, they had minimal knowledge of Australia, but based their decision on others’ opinions. “We live in hope, because many others said it’s good there…Like new born babies…life starts from the beginning, from zero.” Like new born babies, the Arbutinas arrived in wonder and hope, dreaming of endless possibilities. The family tried hard to accept the new country, culture and especially the new language which proved to be an obstacle to their migration experience. Stefan lost control over his family when his self-esteem plummeted as Georgia and his daughters found it easier than he did. “I’m stupid, I’m lost…whatever advice I try to give, it’s not good enough.” The move caused the parents of the family, to experience an array of health problems; anxiety attacks, depression and suicidal thoughts. In particular Stefan, the father, felt lost and worthless as he was not able to find a job immediately and put his skills to work.

As a population declines, immigrants with skills become valuable, but it’s the skills that are esteemed. Without those skills potential immigrants are denied access. This is expressed in the poem, This is My House, by Richard MacWilliam, published on the internet for an adult audience who wish to gain a different perspective on migration. Each stanza focuses on a different experience felt by migrants. A discriminating and degrading tone is used towards immigrants in the first four stanzas though these change in the last two.  “My house” refers to a country, “guest” refers to the immigrants and “street” refers to the world. The first stanza of the poem describes the unwelcoming slang immigrants hear and how some may be deported from the country. The next stanza signifies the importance of the skills that migrants bring into the country.

“I value you
For your skills:
But without those skills
You
Are
                                        Nothing”                                                

The third stanza portrays Australia’s obligation to accept migrants, whilst the fourth, highlights the new alliances between countries, using the term “friends”. The poet uses the last two stanzas to express his hope that in the future; regardless of our race we will embrace different cultures. “This is my house: we are brother and sister.”

My family migrated to Sydney in 2005 in pursuit of a brighter future for my brother and myself and a more relaxed lifestyle. After spending eight years in Malaysia, the problems I faced at school and the amount of school work was unbearable.  This amongst other government pressures prompted my parents to migrate to a place which offered better lifestyle.

Unlike the Arbutinas, language wasn’t a problem for my family as we migrated from an English speaking country. My brother and I were satisfied with the Australian education system which offered a unique learning experience in addition to a childhood we never had. Despite facing problems similar to the Arbutinas, my mother found it a positive experience as she saw migration to be a learning experience that was “just another stage of [her] life”. However, my father was similar to Katia and Stefan in terms of leaving the rich culture and traditions behind. “I still ponder about moving back to Pakistan and its rich tradition; however, I’m grateful for all the privileges this country has to offer,” he told me.

Experiences of migration vary, depending on the immigrant’s outlook on life, whether they migrated with people they know, the situations which they encounter and knowledge regarding the country. The immigrant’s choices can favour them, or cause repercussions. Migrants determine how they want to live their new life based upon their upbringings, bearing in mind the positive and negative long-term effects. None of us, who are born in our native land, can imagine the issues new immigrants face upon entering a new country, let alone the hardships they encounter once there.

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