Midhun, 25
Born in Doha, Qatar
Came to Australia in June 2012
What is your occupation?
I am an Assistant Manager at Thinktank Commercial Property Finance. Previously, I worked at Nano Home Loans as a Quality Assurance engineer. That was pretty confusing at first as I had no engineering background whatsoever. I was deciding between finance and tech; tech is just too volatile and I wanted to speak to people more.
I studied a Bachelors of Commerce and Business Leadership at Macquarie University.
Why did you come to Australia?
Mum used to work in the healthcare sector in Qatar and Dad used to work as a sales manager for Saudia, Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier.
We don’t get citizenship in the Middle East as we’re not ethnically Qatari. You need to live in the country for 25 consecutive years before you can even apply for citizenship.
Hence in the long term, we had to move somewhere else to settle down. We were tossing up a number of places like the US, Canada, Singapore and Australia. We chose Australia mainly because of the healthcare system, education system and quality of life.
What do you like about Sydney?
In Sydney, you wouldn’t have the feeling that you don’t belong here. There’s something for everyone; there’s cuisines from all around the world. There’s all these communities that contribute to the multicultural dynamic of Sydney.
There’s chances to grow within Sydney and Australia itself. Let’s say you wanted to study for a degree. The government will support you with HECS, which is basically an interest-free loan. You can’t do this in other places, like America or the Middle East.
The quality of life is exceptional, in terms of housing, shopping, access to nature etc.
Having grown up in Qatar, there are no beaches or hikes to go to. I essentially grew up in the desert.
What don’t you like about Sydney?
I hate how everything closes early. I feel like city life ends at 9pm.
When we were in Qatar, we would eat dinner at 9:30pm or 10:30pm. Here, restaurants close by 8pm or 9pm! In the Middle East, nighttime is more romanticised; people look forward to the night time.
Everyone’s always busy in Sydney. The hustle culture is real and everyone’s very involved with themselves only. They forget to stop and smell the roses. I lived in Queensland for a while and I would see people on the beaches on weekdays. It’s about what you are willing to sacrifice - are you willing to sacrifice money in order to spend time with your family etc.?
What would you like to say to Sydneysiders?
Don’t forget to appreciate what we have here in Sydney.
Look at the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria - these people’s lives have been completely destroyed simply because of geography.
The quality of life is within the top 1% of the world. We take it for granted and if we all took a step back to appreciate that, we’d enjoy life a lot more.
What languages do you speak?
English, Malayalam, Hindi
I can understand a bit of Arabic simply because I was born in Qatar. However, I went to an international school and so Arabic was not really emphasised.
I speak Malayalam with my parents as that is my native language.
I just picked up Hindi at school as I had to learn a 2nd language.
Teach us one word/phrase from your native language.
Oru chaya kudikkan poyalo?
ഒരു ചായ കുടിക്കാൻ പോയാലോ?
This means “How about we go grab a tea?”
This is so common in Kerala, India and this is how you would establish a bond or friendship. Instead of saying “How are you?”, you would say this.
What is one thing you want us to know about your native country?
In 1939, Qatar discovered its first oil deposit. It has huge oil and natural gas reserves and this is the source of its wealth. Engineering is huge as one of its biggest employers is Qatar Energy.
Qatar has made a lot of strides lately, including hosting the recent FIFA World Cup. Alcohol was banned and it made the World Cup a very family-friendly and safe environment for everyone.
If you want to experience luxury, Qatar is the kind of place that can accommodate it. They built an entirely artificial island called the Pearl. It is unbelievably decadent - it looks like something out of Disneyland.
For local Qataris, they’re set for life. The government will take care of them; the social security system is second to none.
Who is the most famous person in your native country?
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
He is the Emir of Qatar.
People treat him as royalty. They clear out an entire road when he is driving on it.
What is the best dish in your native country?
Machboos
Machboos, is the national dish of Qatar. Its depth of flavour comes from a combination of aromatic spices that produce a smoky taste. Served with a variety of meats, the dish is a favourite across the Arabian Sea. It is similar to biryani.
https://www.epicureanlife.co.uk/post/recipe-celebrate-qatar-s-national-day-with-machboos-qatar-s-national-dish
Disclaimer: All posts are personal opinions and perspectives of the interviewees and are not a perfect representation of the whole country/experience.
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