Kong TEH

Story

I grew up in a very poor family. The third child of a six children family, I experienced the daily pain of living from hand to mouth. The house which we were renting for A$15 a month had leaking roof, rotting floor-boards and walls full of holes. Under these conditions, I made a vow to my mum that I will improve my social and financial status so that she can enjoy a better life in her twilight years. Working part-time, I financed my high school studies and gained entrance into university with the aid of a scholarship.

A major reason for my migration was the fact that I had reached the peak of my profession in my early thirties. However, a very well-paid job with the usual attendant perks were unable able to quell the inquisitive spirit in me. A secondary reason is my desire to experience working and living in a Western country, with the aim of using this knowledge to assist the developing Asian countries.

I packed two suitcases full of clothing some of which were bought when I visited Australia a year earlier. Compared to some other migrants, I was very fortunate to travel to Australia in the comfort of a Qantas Boeing 747 jet.

My recollection of my first day in Australia as recorded in my ‘memoir\’ style book ‘Dilemma of the Chinese Returnee’ (non de plume of Steven Tay and Kevin Koh as me) is as follows:

‘The Qantas jet flying into Kingsford Smith airport carried more than 300 passengers from Kuala

Lumpur, capital city of Malaysia. As the plane taxied into its designated parking bay at gate 22, the

aerobridges were being maneuvered into position to meet the front and back doors on the lower

deck of the Boeing 747-200’

Here\’s my first memory of being greeted by an Australian resident on Australian soil. My friend had chosen to retain some of his old cultural values in his new country. On reflection, it is the infusion of different culture that endeared Australia to its Asian neighbors.

‘Welcome to OZ,’ beamed Eugene.

‘How was the flight? Have you eaten?’ In true Chinese greeting, Eugene wanted to know whether

his friend had eaten a meal. Eugene was born and grew up in Malaysia and he attended the same

church as his friend. Eugene had migrated to Australia in the mid 1980\’s when Australia had less

than two percent Asians among its population. Even though he believed in the importance of

integration, he had vowed not to forget his Chinese roots. Adopt the best of the western culture, but

always retain your eastern heritage, was his motto in life.

However not all first day experiences had been positive as illustrated by my recollection of an unpleasant encounter.

Once outside, Kevin felt a slight chill as the May wind blew over his face and body. He zipped open

his hand luggage and found a blue jumper which he quickly pulled over his head. Struggling to

straighten his jumper, Kevin almost crashed into another passenger to his right. The blond woman

scowled at him and mumbled something as Kevin apologized.

On hearing the commotion, Eugene stopped the trolley and looked back. He watched as Kevin

doubled his pace to catch up.

‘What happened? Did she bump into you?’

‘No, no, no. I bumped into her while putting on my jumper. I said sorry but she mumbled something

I didn\’t quite catch.’

‘That\’s OK. Just as well you didn\’t hear what she said. That\’s the problem with some white

Aussies Ð they don\’t like Asians.’

Kevin felt numb on hearing those words. For a fleeting moment, he regretted making the decision

to immigrate. On his holiday trip, he had not encountered any Australians who were rude to him or

his wife. In fact, all the Australians he had met had been extremely polite and had gone out of their

way to help. He recalled an incident on a Melbourne tram where he did not have sufficient change

for the fare. As he was searching his jeans pocket and his wife was rummaging through her hand

bag, a young white Australian dipped his hand into his trouser pocket, pulled out some coins and

handed them to Kevin.

His mind was still on that incident when Eugene called out, ‘Kevin, over here. The car is parked

here.’

However, the incident did spur me on. As I reflect on the incident that night, I made a resolution that I would either regain my social and financial standing in two years or consider myself a failure & return to my home country.

Three individuals Ð all Anglo-Saxon Australians Ð helped me to forget that unpleasant incident. One gave me my first job during the first week despite my lack of local experience. Another took a gamble & offered me a middle management position

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