Sydney, Australia, and its surrounding suburbs are beautiful places that I have been lucky to explore. Something I have tried to do on this trip to Australia is to use my free time to explore places beyond just tourist attractions, especially Sydney’s suburban areas. Thus, I have spent much more time in Western Sydney in the very culturally rich suburbs. Furthermore, many people at SpeakOut and others I have met have educated me more about the suburbs of Sydney and the different cultural enclaves there are in the Western area, which have made me even more excited to go to different shops, restaurants, and local businesses in these places.
On my first weekend in Sydney, I was recommended by many people that I had to go see Vivid Sydney, which is a light festival that occurs annually in the city in the winter months. The show was beautiful, and I enjoyed gelato near the water that very night that I went to see Vivid, despite it being winter here in Australia, as it is in the Southern Hemisphere.
I have also been able to visit the waterfront areas of Sydney during the weekends, including the Rhodes area, in addition to Brighton Beach, enjoying amazing cuisine and views in both places.
However, more interestingly, I have been able to go to the suburbs of Sydney, being introduced to many through my Leadership-in-Action Project with SpeakOut. One that has been particularly interesting has been the Merrylands suburb of the city. At the Merrylands Community Centre, I led SpeakOut’s Wellness Sessions with the Afghan community of the surrounding area. The area has a very rich Afghan population among other immigrant populations, which is why SpeakOut hosted its sessions there. In addition to doing the sessions there, I have also gone to the area for Afghan cuisine, trying Kabul Sydney Restaurant, which has delicious Afghan food, including Ashak, Bolani, and Kabobs. I have also been able to visit other Afghan restaurants around Sydney, such as Watan in Granville, another suburb of Sydney with a great immigrant population.
Another suburb I really enjoyed visiting is Auburn, which has many shops from different countries, including Türkiye, Afghanistan, Lebanon, and other Middle Eastern countries, which are all around Auburn Road. I have tried multiple restaurants there, an Afghan bakery, and I have visited the shops to buy some souvenirs. The area is very nice, and there is a lot of diversity, which speaks to the rich immigrant population of Australia.
Overall, this trip has allowed me not only to serve the immigrant community in NSW but also to explore the suburbs and areas immigrants call home. As my research primarily focuses on migration and diasporic immigrant groups, I am quite interested in and deeply passionate about immigrant communities, such as my own. Being able to learn about and enjoy different cultures is a gift, and I see the diversity of NSW as an incredible strength of Australia. However, this trip and working with SpeakOut have also allowed me to realize that there are many challenges for the migrant population in Australia, such as anti-immigrant sentiments and racist rhetoric by certain groups. Despite this unfortunate reality, the immigrant populations stand resilient and are building community, and that is what the beauty of seeing so many different parts of Sydney has been for me. The time I have spent exploring the city and its different suburbs has ultimately reinforced the idea that it is truly the people who make the place, and the place is even more special when so many people make it and call it home.