Abstract
I am Chinese, and I am also Australian. My life as a migrant in this vast land began in January 1997. The second day of my arrival marked my 23rd birthday, and a new chapter in my life. I thus embarked on a new life journey, wading into the unfamiliar waters of a new culture. Before coming to Australia, I had never been outside the People's Republic of China, being born and raised in the more or less racially homogenous city of Shanghai.
Every day has been different for me since I entered this new country. Every day has presented me with challenges and new discoveries about my surroundings and about my inner self. And, every day has brought me wonders, disbeliefs, confusions, agonies, frustrations, and myriad other feelings in bridging and living with the tremendous differences between two languages and cultures. This essay reflects upon a few selected aspects of my life in this new country over the past five years or so. Fragments of my life, in retrospect, record an 'inward journey' — my thoughts, sentiments, emotions, and above all, my inner worlds, reflecting upon what it means to be a young migrant living in, with, and between languages and cultures. It is not a chronicle of my life, but a conscious attempt to recount my suantiankula[2] in this lucky country, which is so dramatically different from China.
Originally published in March 2003 in Mots Pluriels No. 23 https://www.arts.uwa.edu.au/MotsPluriels/MP2303vzy.html
Every day has been different for me since I entered this new country. Every day has presented me with challenges and new discoveries about my surroundings and about my inner self. And, every day has brought me wonders, disbeliefs, confusions, agonies, frustrations, and myriad other feelings in bridging and living with the tremendous differences between two languages and cultures. This essay reflects upon a few selected aspects of my life in this new country over the past five years or so. Fragments of my life, in retrospect, record an 'inward journey' — my thoughts, sentiments, emotions, and above all, my inner worlds, reflecting upon what it means to be a young migrant living in, with, and between languages and cultures. It is not a chronicle of my life, but a conscious attempt to recount my suantiankula[2] in this lucky country, which is so dramatically different from China.
Originally published in March 2003 in Mots Pluriels No. 23 https://www.arts.uwa.edu.au/MotsPluriels/MP2303vzy.html
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 133-146 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Life Writing |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | Mar 2003 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2004 |