Information & Cultural Exchange

An amazing story by all the people who had the courage and humility to allow us into their world. I don’t see this as a story about cultural diversity with struggles in a foreign land but rather as individual people trying to survive in a world without being properly equipped with necessary tools of life. Life for everyone around the world is a learning process and we will always be students in ‘The University of Life’. Graduation is determined by what we’ve learnt within our lifetime and how we chose to live our lives. Everybody that had a major role in the 3 episodes were special people that contributed to the teaching of lifes’ lessons. Particularly what touched me the most was the humility that was within these folks and the wisdom they’re willing to share. Even though I have a relationship with God, Tony reignited my spirit after seeing his life turn around. I was deeply touched by the real life events alone, however when I watched Tony come to the end of his strength and turn to God, that was such an incredible miracle. To me the interpretation of Tony’s life was that he was chosen to follow this path until that day where he handed the reigns over to the Almighty when the purpose of his life was to change so many others’. To Lam and his parents, thank you for your moving insight to a tormented past and the successful conclusion to all your lives.

I found the series (still) online at sbs. Fantastic and touching. Thank you so much to all who shared their stories, esp the parents. This story about the real experience of migrant Australia makes me feel respect and compassion for the Vietnamese Australian community and has helped me to understand my own experience growing up asian in Australia, arriving before the white australia policy was lifted. Although Tony keeps mentioning the shame felt in the Vietnamese community, I feel the belated shame of the broader community upon discovering their ignorance of why and how things happened.