My Name Is
By Francis Anjong
My name is Francis Anjong. I’m from Sudan. I came to Australia in 2005. My life in Sudan was so hard because of the civil war that we had in the South and the North of Sudan. I was sad because there were lots of people dead in the war.
In my education in Sudan, I started in Primary School and finished in grade 6. It was hard for me to study and live there. The Australian education is different because here it’s very easy to study and do what you are interested in. Here the government supports you to achieve your goals and look up for your future.
In our home country we speak Dinka and Arabic.
When I was 7 my family and I went to Egypt to look for a new life. We knew my uncle lived there and he picked us up. There was a big church in Egypt. Anybody who comes from Sudan goes to the church there for their family to come and pick them up. My family and I stayed in the church from the morning until late at night, waiting. The next morning my uncle came and he picked us up and took us to his house. We stayed there for 4 months. It was the worse time of my life because my uncle made us sleep in the church. At the same time i want to thank him for supporting us and looking after us. And my family made it to Australia.
The life here is very good; there are lots of opportunities to access study, jobs, arts or anything else.
Something I don’t like about Australia is the weather, it changes 5 times a day and we Africans are not used to that. In Sudan the wealthier is hot like 45 degrees celcius a day.
The thing I like about Australia is to communicate with wider communities. Everybody is from a different nationality.
The difference between Australia and Sudan is the environment, the system of government, the people, lifestyle and culture.
Friends are very important for me in many different ways, first they always there for me, they give me happiness and support. Sometimes they might not be there but they are still my friends.
My hopes are playing soccer, music, and talking to friends. I love family. I have two brothers, a sister and my mum.
Last year I was involved in the Sunshine Community Centre where I was teaching muslim kids
arabic reading and writing. Then I did work experience for two weeks in the Flemington Community Centre. In November I finished Year 12 in high school. Now I work in The Social Studio and my position is Cafe Manager, to make coffee and food for customers.
I think the Australian Government should provide spaces for the Sudanese community for our young people so they have freedom and don’t hang around libraries, shopping centres and bus or train stations.
In the future I want to become a social worker and help people in the way I was helped in Australia.
#My Name Is #sudan #australia #francis anjong
