Refugees, Migrants and being Australian.

Work has been very interesting lately, and as usual as the term advances you get to know more and more about the children's stories. One child I take each week for a couple of sessions just casually mentioned this week his step father (an uncle) that he doesn't care much for and how his father shot himself with a gun hidden under his pillow - events happened back in India. Another has a father (presumed kidnapped and dead) returning after being away for 4 years (he was imprisoned and discovered accidentally by the American troops in northern Iraq) - she is living with a virtual stranger at home, a changed man. Then this week from Lahore in Pakistan we saw the Sri Lankan cricketers attacked and the terrorists just sauntering off unhindered, unafraid and unchallenged. My Sri Lankan students were deeply alarmed at this attack, even from thousands of kilometres away.

We take so much for granted here in the relative safety of Australia. We are safe, the economy teeters on the edge of a recession but so far is just on the positive side, we are undoubtedly the Lucky Country. I for one don't take this for granted. I will be so proud when Rene obtains his Australian Citizenship in the near future. It will be some time after his initial citizenship test on April 21.