This is the story of Bizunesh, a 19 year old girl who was born into poverty in Ethiopia and the journey she took coming to Australia.
“I was born in a small communal village in Ethiopia. Our house was built from mud bricks with timber at each corner to endure the tropical rainfall during the wet season. I had a hard working father and a very skilled mother who made sure we grew up with good manners and values in life. I’m the second child in a family of six, three girls and one boy. During my early childhood I was happy and content with life. Until the age of six I spent most of my time helping my mother around the house. Like most children in the village, our only entertainment was through creating our own games as well as spending our spare time swimming in the muddy river.
Just before my 7th birthday, my beloved parents fell victim to malaria and died. It was the worst time of my life. I felt like I had no purpose in life without them, and all I wanted was to be buried with them in that dark hole that swallowed them.
The first year was full of struggles, family members deciding what to do with us. Eventually, my siblings and I joined grandma in her lonely hut. Looking after four grandchildren, after raising eight of her own was too hard for her so some of us were sent to live with my uncle. We were separated for almost two years from each other. In the first year my brother was relinquished for adoption by our uncle and he eventually came to live in Australia.
We had not heard from my brother for over two years. We thought we would never see him again but in 2001, we received a letter and some photos from him. Life was difficult with my uncle. He had a wife who was not happy with the addition of more children as they already had their own. Finally after many letters and telephoning, my brother came to visit us in 2002. It was the best thing that had happened to me.
During their visit, my brother’s adoptive parents asked us if we wanted to go to Australia and live with our brother. Our response was of course yes. Although we had no idea where Australia was, we were desperate for a better life, a life where we can be taken care of. The adoption process was draining and painful, but eventually we were reunited with our brother about seven years ago. Coming to Australia made me realise how hard life was back in Ethiopia. My attitude towards life has changed over the years. As a child, I had nothing but I didn’t complain as long as I had my parents. Life was such a struggle from day to day, but I was grateful for every simple thing I had, such as food, clothing and just being able to attend school. However, as I grew up, my desires have increased. After losing both of my parents, I struggled to focus on life. I felt as though that was the end of my life. However, being given a second chance by my adoptive parents has made me believe in myself again. I have learnt to go on with life without focusing too much on my past as it drags me down.
I believe people can misuse their wealth and opportunity. When I came to Australia, I was shocked by how much people had and yet they still complained about not having the latest things, the latest televisions, computers, computer games, phones, iPods and iPhones. This proves to me that the human desire is unlimited, the more we have, the more we want and the less happy our lives become. We are living in a society where people become obsessed with material things. Although I do get trapped into the desire of having modern materials from time to time, thinking about my past life helps me to focus on my education to the exclusion of material objects and achieve the best I can in my future.”
