Rasha
From Turkey and Iraq
Languages – English, Turkish, Arabic

Zeinab
From Iran
Languages – English, Farsi

Rasha and Zeinab arrived in Australia in 2012 and met at the Intensive English Centre, Warrawong.

Rasha: I like it here because there are so many different cultures. People here are respectful, they say sorry when they bump into each other. I feel safe here.
People understand our level of English. I don’t feel judged.

We went on a lot of SCARF excursions and workshops. They made me feel really good. I never expected people to understand and support us. I learned how to give a speech at a Rotary leadership camp.

Wollongong feels like home.

Zeinab: We’re from different countries and have different languages but we were always together. When we turned 18 we got matching tattoos. The tattoo reads “Let it Be”. For us it means go with the flow. That is what we have learned.

I also have another tatoo in Arabic that says “This too shall pass” words from a song by my favourite singer Amir Tataloo.

Rasha is funny, I can trust her. I am noisy she is quiet …. “we are like a puzzle that fits together”.

(Photo by Sam St Jon).