Dorcas

AGE 14

Hi. My name is Dorcas and I was born in a refugee camp. In March seven years ago I came to Australia with my family. At that time I was only seven years old and now I’m fourteen. At the age of five I went to kindergarten in the refugee camp school. They taught us about our Karen language and lots of other subjects. I went there for about two years and then my family and I came to Australia.

When we arrived the Karen community welcomed us at the airport and we were so happy. One to two weeks later I started school in Year 2. When I started there people were so nice and they welcomed us. I started to learn English and then started speaking it even at home. Years passed and three years ago we moved to Taree. We stayed there for about a year and a half but then came back to Sydney because my little sister got burnt by hot oil and had to be treated at a big hospital.

Last year I started Year 7. I found high school hard but it was fun and different from primary school. The year went so fast and now I’m in Year 8. In my family there is Mum, Dad, my little brother and sister. I am the eldest out of my siblings. In my family I am the closest to my mum. I have close friends who are in high school. We share secrets and we get along well.

As a Karen we have to respect our elders and our parents. We wear special cos-tumes if we’re celebrating or going to places like church, or we can just wear it every day. At New Year, people would dance the traditional dance, sing songs and elders would give speeches and we would eat. We usually share things and we’re friendly and nice to our Karen people and other cultures.

I am so happy to have come to Australia and I want to thank God for this oppor-tunity and for protecting us. In the future I want to travel the world, meet new people and experience new cultures. I want to feel free and be loved by the people around me.