Belarus 🇧🇾

Dmitri, 25

Born in Brest, Belarus

Came to Australia in October 2012

What is your occupation?

My first job was at a startup called Beam Wallet but it was acquired by ZIP; I’m an accountant by trade and am currently assisting with the consolidation of the two companies. I studied a Bachelor of Accounting at King’s Own Institute. It’s a college that is cheap, accessible and offers shorter courses than normal universities. Studying accounting for me was a gateway to getting PR and I don’t see myself staying in that field for much longer. I’m planning to study either psychology or philosophy at university.

Why did you come to Australia?

It was originally my dad’s decision. He first persuaded my older brother to migrate to Australia. At the time, we didn’t know anyone here and it was quite a daunting experience for my brother, whose only source of advice was the agent we had initially sought for his visa. Compared to him, I had a far easier time than him but there were days when I would struggle and cry as I left behind everything I knew, including all my lifelong friends. My dad saw Australia as a land of opportunity and a chance for us to live better lives. Belarus’s economy is struggling as the average monthly income is around $300-400.

What do you like about Sydney?

There isn’t much to complain about. The multiculturalism is amazing and for example, you can try different foods at any time. There are a lot of opportunities to be had in Sydney and you can find jobs fairly easily. It’s more difficult finding jobs in chosen industries but if you’re looking to just make ends meet, there are plenty of opportunities.

What don’t you like about Sydney?

There is too much red tape when it comes to migrating here. A decade ago, ~200K immigrants would be openly welcomed to Australia as we would do the menial jobs that locals wouldn’t want to do. I think the immigrant quotas/caps changed around the time when the Liberal Party took office; COVID definitely contributed to it but I don’t think it was the main reason. The decisions don’t make sense to me as immigration is why Australia is such a successful country and economy.

What would you like to say to Sydneysiders?

You don’t see people smiling outside in Belarus whereas I always see Australians smiling and being cheerful. My message would be to stay awesome and keep it up.

What languages do you speak?

Russian and English

I don’t speak Belarussian. We learn it as our second language but I reckon it’s slowly becomign extinct. In big cities, everyone just uses Russian.

Teach us one word/phrase from your native language.

I love you

Я люблю тебя - Russian

я цябе кахаю - Belarussian

Belarussians can understand Russian and Ukrainian whereas Russians don’t understand us or Ukrainians.

What is one thing you want us to know about your native country?

Belarus is a very young country and we only gained independence in 1990 as part of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It is still run today by Aleksandr Lukashenko, who was the president immediately after independence. He is referred to as Europe’s “last dictator” and none of the elections he has won have been fair or free.

I think the situation was highlighted even more in the most recent 2020 elections, when many of the favoured candidates were jailed for innocuous reasons. The election was widely considered to be marred by electoral fraud and it led to protests that lasted almost a year.

In my view, it’s clear that intervention from foreign powers is the only way to enact any change. This is because Lukashenko controls all institutions such as the media and judiciary. He does whatever it takes to hold power and it’s truly shocking what is happening.

Who is the most famous person in your native country?

It goes without mentioning that Lukashenko is the most famous person.

Other than him, I’m proud of the fact that we have so many noteworthy athletes considerign that we are a tiny country of 9 million people. We’re mostly successful in ice hockey, ice skating, snowboarding. It’s a cold country so winter sports take precedence. One of the most famous athletes is Victoria Azarenka, a former world number 1 in tennis.

What is the best dish in your native country?

Belarus is known as a potato country. The most famous dish would be draniki, which are potato pancakes. They are pancakes made of finely shredded potatoes, egg, and some flour. They are delicious served with some sour cream or applesauce.

Disclaimer: All posts are personal opinions and perspectives of the interviewees and are not a perfect representation of the whole country/experience.