So, you are flying off to Australia
Yes, I said in a sing song voice, I was excited
You see, I was only a young Indian ‘thingie’
A land of kangaroos, kookaburras, koalas and ‘the Don’
You hear about since your days of ‘kindie’

I turned the pages of the Queenland Uni Brochure
It’s bright, sunny with lanes of lavender
People looked friendly with smiles galore
Beaches and blue skies stretch forever and evermore

A land of empty spaces, milk and honey
A land of opportunities and money
It seemed like an endless dream
I was convinced, it was the ‘lucky country’ to the brim

The deal is, I will have to leave my home
Things I hold so dear to my heart and soul
Family and friends, Bollywood and the spicy food
Samosas and jalebis, and the hot street food

The crowded streets, chaotic traffic and the wet June
Colours and aromas, street cricket and weddings
And my favourite pastime ‘Chasing the Monsoon’
But I knew, I will miss my ‘God of Small Things’

‘Bring a plate’, they said
I obeyed nevertheless with some apprehensions abound
‘Bring a chair’, they said again
And I wondered whether I was mentally sound

India and Australia share cricket stadiums
Hockey, English and now loads of Uranium
Assimilation and integration must be easier
It cannot be this crazier

I ‘googled’ the definition of a true blue ‘Aussie’
But never asked, ‘please explain’, to my mates Aussie
I learnt, it was after all an ocean of migrant waves
Going right back to 1700s and colonial slaves

Slowly but surely, I learnt the Aussie ways
It’s a land of ‘moving forward’ and ‘fair ways’
You say what you mean – ‘a fair go for all’
To find the pearls, you have to dig deeper
To get the gold, you have to go steeper

I resurrected my own home brick by brick
A backyard with a ‘Hills Hoist”
A front lawn with green hardy grass, all moist
Bright yellow wattles, replaced rows of marigold
Lamingtons somehow tasted like Gulaab Jamuns many fold

A love union with a 4th generation Indian-Aussie and three kids later
Australia has now become my ‘Home, Sweet Home’ for better
I am finally a true ‘battler’ Indian-Aussie lass
Belonging to the ‘ordinary mum and dad class’

Australia gave me mates, family, sausage sizzles and footy
Smokin’ barbie, avocadoes, macadamia nuts and precious booty
I took many many trips to Bunnings
And let me tell you mate, it’s a bewdy, and it’s stunning.

I stumbled upon ‘Shantaram’, one fine day
Moored on a continent ‘without land borders’, all happy and gay
Beckoning me with open arms, to embrace me tight
Voila, I found my home on the very Aussie ‘Cloudstreet’ in sight

My heart skipped a beat or two
When Australia beat India with a wicket or two
I headed straight to a local pub and drank some Aussie beer
With delight so fine and sheer

Am I happy, are my loyalties divided?
My heart sings ‘Waltzing Matilda’ with notes delighted
And in joyful strains, I dream of Advancing Australia Fair
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oye, Oye, Oye, I scream with dare

With a big cheesy smile, I finally realised
It is fair dinkum to say, Australia IS ‘bloody fantastic”,
and now it’s my Home Sweet Home, so very majestic!!!

By Vibha Das-Singh