Vishnu, 25
Born in Mumbai, India
Came to Australia in February 2020
What is your occupation?
I am a final year student studying a JD (Juris Doctor) at the University of Sydney. I have a Bachelor of Commerce from the American University of Sharjah.
I work part time at PriceWaterhouseCoopers in the IEPT (International Employment & Personal Taxes) team. We work with a lot of high net-worth individuals and help them with their tax compliance. This is something that I want to do for the foreseeable future; it’s an area where I can utilise both my quantitative and legal skills.
Why did you come to Australia?
I always wanted to do law school and originally I wanted to do it in either the US or Canada.
I did an exchange at Maastricht University and my best friend there was an Australian from Adelaide: I came to understand the laid back culture of Australia.
It also helped that Australia has a lot of the best law schools in the world; I thought coming to Australia was a gamble worth taking due to this. I applied for both the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney got back to me quicker.
Part of the reason why I wanted to move overseas was to get out of my comfort zone. It’s only when you leave your comfort zone you grow as an individual.
I plan to stay here in the foreseeable future but I am always open to opportunities.
What do you like about Sydney?
I like how in Australia you can be yourself because of how multicultural the place is. It’s this aspect that I like the most. As long as you are nice and hardworking, the place will be very nice and liveable for you.
It isn’t this monoculture that I need to assimilate to. You don't need to confine yourself to a different standard. It’s the beauty and diversity
Moving from the UAE where we have summers of 45-50C, Sydney’s climate is brilliant. It’s so nice being able to just sit in a park and relax.
What don’t you like about Sydney?
Despite how multicultural Sydney is, there is still a clear demographic divide. People tend to stick to their cultural bubbles. When you are living in a city and country as multicultural as Sydney, Australia, it’s a shame.
I’ve met people who live in the eastern suburbs who have never been to the western suburbs in their lives. You don’t even need to travel overseas in order to have a cultural experience here.
I feel like it’s so hard to find an affordable place to rent, especially when you’re a student and so much of your money goes towards rent. I wish there was more assistance for international students; it’s hard for them to make ends meet. More affordable housing, rental assistance and more merit-based scholarships would definitely help us. I feel like my home university in the UAE had better financial aid.
What would you like to say to Sydneysiders?
Please get out of your comfort zone and be open to meeting new people from different backgrounds. The more we see from each other’s perspectives, the better life becomes.
What languages do you speak?
English, Malayalam, Hindi
I am familiar with Arabic as well because we learn it at school. I can read and write but I can’t really speak. Because the UAE is such a multicultural country, I can get by by just speaking English.
Malayalam is my mother tongue and is the language which I speak at home.
Hindi is the most widely spoken language spoken in India and I’m pretty familiar with that.
English was always my first language right when I started school.
Teach us one word/phrase from your native language.
Wasta واسِطة
Wasta is leveraging your connections in order to get things done. In today’s world, the importance of networking is highlighted constantly. I think it gets frequently confused with nepotism but wasta has more of a positive connection. The UAE has a collectivist society so everyone is looking out for each other.
Scenarios where wasta could be used include: renewing a licence or getting hired for a job.
What is one thing you want us to know about your native country?
Something that a lot of people don’t know about Dubai and the UAE is the demographics of the place. Expats make up 89% of the population of the country and most are from south Asia. There is a big Filipino community and the place is increasingly popular with European expats.
There is a constant identity crisis within the expat community of the UAE as you cannot get citizenship regardless of how long you’ve stayed there. To highlight how ridiculous the situation is, when I go back to Dubai in November, I will need to apply for a tourist visa.
I reckon people should go to the northern Emirates, including Sharjah which has the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization and the Rain Room. Most tourists just do the touristy things like seeing the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa.
Who is the most famous person in your native country?
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the first president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He is credited as the founding father and the principal driving force behind the formation of the UAE, uniting seven emirates. He was also the ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1966 until his death. He was a very benevolent leader, making the UAE a progressive place.
He is now buried in the Sheikh Zayed Mosque.
What is the best dish in your native country?
Karak Chai
It is used with evaporated milk which gives a very creamy texture. Everyone drinks it regardless of status. This is something that I highly recommend you drink when you are there.
Luqaimat
They are crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, and absolutely delicious drizzled with a homemade sugar syrup. The batter comes together so easily! Luqaimat literally translates to “little bites”, and are also known as luqaimat in the Gulf region of the Middle East.
Disclaimer: All posts are personal opinions and perspectives of the interviewees and are not a perfect representation of the whole country/experience.
Comments