Tala spent her early childhood surrounded by the Lebanese Civil War. Bomb shelters. No electricity. Barely any water.
As a child, Tala was standing next to her neighbour and friend when a stray bullet came through the window and struck her friend, killing her.
As kids, we always put on the nicest pyjamas because what if they bomb us? Mum wanted them to find us looking nice.
It wasn't until the first time she travelled that Tala realised the rest of the world wasn’t constantly at war.
Tala moved to Dubai in her early twenties to follow career opportunities. She struggled with the inequality women there experienced and wanted to do everything that women weren’t allowed to do.
Being a feminist in the Middle East is not like being a feminist in other parts of the world, because they don’t have freedom of speech.
Tala was impatient with the pace of progress for women in the Middle East. Wanting to experience more freedom she booked a trip to Australia.
The minute I landed there, I felt home.
She was moved by the kindness, humility, compassion and love of the people around her in Queensland.
Tala went back to Dubai determined to move to Australia. This was a more difficult process than she had imagined, but eventually she arrived in Townsville to begin her new life. She started university, picked up Aussie slang, and got a casual job at a sports wear store.
It took a year for Tala to feel settled in Australia, but she's happy she made the move.
Everyone's like, what's your dream? My dream is to live where I do now.
In My First Year on Aussie Soil, comedian Suraj Kolarkar delves into the stories of people who have found their feet in Australia, as they share their first impressions, and the highs and lows of life in a new country.
Follow My First Year on Aussie Soil in the SBS Radio app, Spotify, Apple podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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