 |
| Many people got sick there, but little help was available. To see someone you had to wait two hours under the hot sun for permission to get into a vehicle where a few nurses waited to give you a glass of water with salt because they said there was nothing wrong with us. I was eventually released and sent to Melbourne. It was very difficult for me because I couldn't speak English and there was no one there to help me learn or tell me how to get my life organised. |
"In
the commission flats of Collingwood, where I live, I spent a lot
of time with drug addicts trying to get them to teach me some
English in exchange for cigarettes" |
I had to do what I could to have contact with people and learn English. So in the commission flats of Collingwood, where I live, I spent a lot of time with drug addicts trying to get them to teach me some English in exchange for cigarettes. The Fitzroy Learning Network has changed my life. Here I found my family, my friends, and my community; here I found my life. Now I study English and computers when I can and at night, I am at Collingwood TAFE learning more.
|
"Maybe
I will never see my real family again but these people are here
for me forever" |
Through the Network, I also started to volunteer as a speaker for refugees at protests and rallies, on the radio and newspapers. With my volunteer work, I am also able to speak at schools where I tell the truth for all those people in the camps who cannot and hope that the word will spread. |
I like to spend all my time at the Network because I feel very isolated in my flat. Here I talk to people, practice my English and ask them for help if I need something like using the job network or other services. Maybe I will never see my real family again but these people are here for me forever.
