Our Faces, Our Stories - Stockland

My journeyHieu BuiMy name is Hieu and Iwas born in Vietnamon the 9 September1992. I was born intoa small family and I lived with mymother, my aunt and uncle andmy brother.My mother worked for a seafoodfactory for over ten years. It wasa very hard job so she had verylittle time for me. Everyday mymother worked from 6:30am to9pm, sometimes up to 11pm. Istayed home with my brother andmy uncle.My uncle is very young, just nineyears older than me. His motherdied when he was 12 years old.He is a very kind person; he tookcare of me and taught me manythings. He taught me how to bea good person, how to study welland what I should and shouldn’tdo. He is very special to me.My parents separated in 2004,which was a very sad time in mylife. My father moved to a differenttown and my brother and Istayed with my mum. Five yearslater, my mother, brother and Imoved to Australia. We decidedto come to Australia because Ialready had two aunts and oneuncle there.When I got off the plane at theairport I felt strange, but excited.Life is so different here in Australia.Unlike Vietnam, there area lot of trees and birds. The airis fresh, the streets are cleanand the people are very polite.Although I am very happy to behere, I do miss my friends in Vietnam.Three months after I arrived inAustralia, I started school atFairfield High. At first, I studiedEnglish in the Intensive EnglishCentre. In the beginning, I foundit difficult to understand what theteachers were saying, howeverafter a few weeks I found it mucheasier. Studying in Australia ismore comfortable than in mycountry.I have met some new friends atschool. We spend time togetherat school and sometimes go outon the weekends. The one thingwe all have in common is our loveof soccer. My favourite team isManchester United.When I finish school, I hope towork in mining because I’m interestedin natural resources. I amvery happy with my new life and Iwill work hard to achieve my ambitions.7