A migrant’s journey

DILJOT SIDHU looks back at those bitter sweet years of toil as he struggled his way to recognition in his adopted land

Every migrant has a story of the hardships they faced when they arrived in this country looking for greener pastures.

Here is mine.

I belong to a middle class family and both my parents are doctors based in Amritsar. I spent the first sixteen years of my life studying in Chandigarh. I arrived in Australia on 22 July 2002 to study IT at RMIT. All I had was $500 in my pocket, and a dream of becoming a self made man. I was only 19.

My mum held back her tears bravely as she and dad dropped me off at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. I experienced mixed emotions as I bade them both goodbye. There was excitement and fearthe excitement of moving to a land where I had wanted to go for a long time, and the fear of the unknown.

I was lucky to have an uncle in Melbourne who received me at Melbourne Airport. I still remember the cold, windy and dark night. In the car on the freeway, I was mesmerized by the giant trucks that were rushing past us – they looked massive, and if I wasn’t so tired, I would have playfully counted the wheels on them! They also looked bright and shiny as if they were brand new. So this was Australia – huge, fast, shiny clean. And new. So new.

I felt comforted as I called my parents back home.

The next day Uncle told me how to get about. Train, bus, timetables, tickets.

First day at Uni started at 5am. Freezing cold at the bus stop, and then train to the city. Completed the enrollment formalities. I was the only Indian in my course.

After a long day at Uni when I came home, the next thought on my mind was finding work and accommodation. Fortunately for me, Uncle allowed me to board with him until I was comfortable with the environment. The career services desk at my Uni gave me advice on how to create a resume. I had classes at Uni from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday. After class I would walk to the businesses which were open and personally hand them my resume. At a Subway outlet, I was told that a job was available as long as I shaved off my beard. I politely refused and walked out, not letting it show that I was left dumbfounded at the condition placed. times. But I remained persistent with my job hunting efforts. was offered the weekend graveyard shift, which no one else wanted, at a Shell petrol pump. Down to my last $2, I accepted. on the weekends.

More than once, I wished I could take time out and go off with friends to have a good time. But I remained positive and reminded myself that I am here to achieve something in life and make my parents proud. My only companion, a local Punjabi radio program which played listeners’ requests on Saturday nights from midnight to 2 am.

I mopped the floors to Babbu Mann, stocked the fridges to Harbhajan Mann and put away delivery pallets to Malkit Singh. Sometimes I’d think to myself, is this what I came to Australia for? But then I kept myself motivated by thinking this is only the beginning for me and I have to achieve a lot in life. The battle was always on between Emotional-Me and PracticalMe. Thankfully for me, PracticalMe came up trumps just a little more frequently!

I’d finish my shift at 7am, and wait for the first train at the station. It came an hour and a half later.

During summer vacations I worked 60-hour weeks. Some days, I’d finish one shift at one petrol pump and start the next shift immediately at another site. For me summer vacations meant more money and more work. This made my desire to succeed even stronger.

I had a small circle of friends by now, mostly others like me who were all slogging away at uni and at work. They were sort of a support group for sure, but we had no time for masti.

Nearly six months down the track I brought my first car for $350, a 1983 Toyota Corona. Now it was easier to travel to and from work.

Also after living two years with my uncle, I moved into a rental place, sharing with a friend. Life was not easy, but as they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going, and so was the case at my end.

I completed my studies in December 2005 and gained my permanent residency in March 2006. Now I wanted to fulfill my dream of working in the public sector. I started applying for jobs in the IT sector and was successful in gaining a position in IT at Telstra.

I bought myself a champagne gold Honda Civic. I had only been with Telstra a brief while, when I was offered a position at the Victoria Police, looking after the grant of private security licenses. My parents were proud and happy when they learnt I was one of five candidates selected out of a pool of 150 candidates.

After working for the Victoria Police for a period of 2 years, I fulfilled another longstanding dream – owning my own house. I had been saving for a deposit, and in 2007, moved into my own four-bedroom place.

Very shortly after, I met Manpriya. Just like her name, she became the true love of my life. We wed in India in April 2008.

I applied for a position at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. This time round, with my Lady Luck by my side, I was able to secure that position easily.

After a few months with Immigration I was offered a position at the Department of Justice. I took that on board and am currently working there.

Today when I look back, I don’t regret my decision of coming to Australia, despite those initial hardships. There are no shortcuts to success. Determination, focus, hard work and most importantly a strong belief in oneself, are the key elements of success.

Opportunity comes to those who look for it. While it may be difficult to secure a white collar job, it is not impossible … remember, the word ‘impossible’ could really be read as ‘I M Possible’.