As a daughter of an immigrant (or more specifically, a refugee) and being far removed from my mum's life experiences, anything to understand her life, heritage and journey is important to me.
All kinds of feels when I visited this very spot where my mum, aunty and cousin began their refugee boat journey to escape Vietnam's Communist regime during the 1980s.
So, this would have to be one of the most significant and memorable experiences during my previous trip to the motherland, Vietnam.
It takes another level of courage to put your life at risk to jump on a fishing boat at night with no certainty that you will make it alive on the other side. I understand that many Vietnamese didn't make it through their journey to freedom. So, I can't begin to fathom on what they had to endure during the whole ordeal.
It always make me wonder how different my life could've been if it wasn't for my mum's bravery. Who knows, aye? Would I even be here at all?
My mum, aunty and cousin landed in Malaysia where they stayed in a refugee camp before they were accepted into Australia. So, thank you to the late former Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, whom at the time implemented a refugee policy that accepted them and resettled them (along with thousands of other Vietnamese refugees) into Australia.
For that, I am grateful.
Lots o' Love, Linda
