As the plane landed, I tried to organize all my gear; I had to fly a six month old, and a 4 year old, 20 hours to a brand new country. The strange and weird country would now be our home. A country where we wont have to fight to survive everyday, we wouldnt be mocked because we are Africans with AIDS. Somewhere, where we will finally be accepted as people, not being treated like scum. The plane pulled up to the terminal I grabbed Annas hand, picked up Francis and made my way off the plane. Everyone seemed to have someone meeting them, but not us. We were on our own in this little country. Even the air smelt different here, there was a crisp smell to it, and it felt fresh and new. Slowly I managed to make my way to the baggage pick up area. I didnt know English; all the signs were so confusing, it made my head hurt. I waited for my small amount of luggage that I had managed to take from Africa. I was lucky to get out of my country, I did things I didnt want to, just to make the money, I needed out. I committed crimes just for a few dollars, because every dollar got me slightly closer to coming to the land of freedom, the land everyone dreamt of coming to, few ever made it. The land of the long white cloud, this land of Aotearoa commonly called New Zealand, by outsiders like me. My luggage slowly came through I followed all the people assuming they knew where they were going, I had no clue what was going to happen next. I saw big men, and large machines. These machines and people scared me. I was only 19 with two children in a strange country, and I couldnt speak a single word of English. I had no time to learn it in Africa. I walked up and one of the guys said something, but I couldnt understand a word. I just replied with My naam is Olivia, Ek nie praat enige engels, alleen Afrikaans1. I saw the look on the face of the man change, he pointed over to a room and gestured that I needed to go in there. I entered the room slowly, back in Africa you would never do this.This was not Africa, maybe I would not get hurt. I waited in this cold room that seemed to be made of a shiny metal that I had rarely come across before. After maybe half and hour, as I sat there nervously not sure on what was going to happen next. A lady came into the room, walked up to me and held out her hand I politely shook it.
Hallo, my naam is Emma. Ek is 'n vertaler so ons kan sorteer sommige dinge uit goed2
This was good, someone who knew my language. This would make things a lot easier to sort things out.
Hello, my name is Olivia and this is my son Francis and my daughter Anna.
Hello, Olivia. I need to get details off you about yourself and your children, this shouldnt take very long.
I gave her all the details she wanted, then a question I was dreading was asked.
Do you or your children have and chronic illness?
Yes, I and my son both have AIDS. This is why we come to this country. We want to get better and not be beaten everyday, just because we had been infected.
That could, be a slight problem. Do you have a visa? She said with concern in her voice.
Yes, I do have a visa but its not a working visa. I cant get a job to pay for me and my sons medical treatment.
Ok, thats fine, but you will need to apply for a working one, you can do that by filling out these forms. Do you want to stay here with me and fill them out, so I can help you understand them?
Yes please, but may I first take my daughter to the toilet?
Yes you may. I will show you the way.
I liked this lady as she was nice to me and didnt look down on me because of my AIDS. To her I was just another South African looking for a new start in a new country. She helped me fill out many forms and get me through customs. Lastly she did something which she didnt have to do, it was not part of her job; she called up a half-way house for people from the African countries to stay in, until they got settled. They had a spare bed for me, she arranged for them to pick me up, help me get started in this strange country. Then she left me, I found one of the hard airport seats and waited until someone picked me up to take me to the half-way house. As I waited I listened to people talking, who knows, I just might pick up a few words of English. At 5.30pm a man walked up to me, greeted me in Afrikaans and then asked me if I was Olivia. I smiled and replied that I was, he just smiled back and said Im here to take you to the half-way house and get you settled. He took me back to a large house, showed me my room and then left so I could sort out my children and get some rest. I couldnt rest because there was too much to take in about this country. We had barely driven an hour to this house yet I had seen landscape that was so very different from the landscape of Africa. Within an hour you could go from skyscrapers to farm land and then back to a city. It was marvelous, but also very frightening, I eventually managed to get both Francis and Anna to sleep, and then I my head fall onto a soft pillow. I let myself have the much needed sleep.
I woke up with a start, looked over at the cot which held my precious baby. I screamed, my baby, my baby. He was not there. Francis was missing. Anna woke and started to bawl. I just keep screaming M baby, wheres my baby. My baby, where is Francis I could not take my eyes off that empty cot. I then heard footsteps running towards my room. Frank burst in; Frank who was the owner and runner of this place.
Olivia, look at me. Olivia, Olivia its ok. Francis is ok. He said in a rush.
Where is my baby, where is Francis?
He is in the kitchen with my wife, he woke up and she heard him crying. You were still asleep, so she took him into the kitchen. So you could keep on sleeping. I looked at him with tears in my eyes.
Francis is ok then? I asked in a rush.
Yes he is I will take you to him. Follow me. He said softly.
I got up, told Anna to follow me and then followed Frank into the kitchen. I saw Francis sitting in a high chair gurgling away happily; I rushed over and picked him up. I held him tightly in my arms. Turned to Regina and said to her politely Please do not take Francis away from my room without asking me first. When I woke up I thought he had been kidnapped and it scared me a lot.
She smiled softly and said Ok, I didnt mean to cause you any stress, I thought I would keep him happy until you woke. I wont do it again.
She put a bowl of food in front of me and I sat down and ate my first proper meal in New Zealand. Over breakfast Frank sat down with me and discussed my options of what we could do to get me started off. We made a list:
The night after this all happened I started at work with Frank; I stayed with them for another 6 months during which I saved enough to pay for the bond on a small flat. I will start a course to learn English next month, and then I can get a better job. Francis is getting even sicker now; he cant fight the AIDS for much longer. I know he will die soon, but at least he will have a proper funeral in this country, a grave that is marked with his name instead of a mound of dirt with no name. Anna started at a local school; she finds it really hard to get along with the kids as she doesnt know much English yet. She is a lucky girl though they put her in a room that had a South African teacher so if it is really needed they will speak Afrikaans to each other.
I walked into the room; it was filled with people from every nation. I didnt want to be here. Frank said I had to come, he said it would be good for me. But it had only been a week since Francis
By Natalie Barr
1My name is Olivia; I dont speak English, only Afrikaans.
2Hello, my name is Emma. I am a translator so we can sort out some things, ok.
Hallo, my naam is Emma. Ek is 'n vertaler so ons kan sorteer sommige dinge uit goed2
This was good, someone who knew my language. This would make things a lot easier to sort things out.
Hello, my name is Olivia and this is my son Francis and my daughter Anna.
Hello, Olivia. I need to get details off you about yourself and your children, this shouldnt take very long.
I gave her all the details she wanted, then a question I was dreading was asked.
Do you or your children have and chronic illness?
Yes, I and my son both have AIDS. This is why we come to this country. We want to get better and not be beaten everyday, just because we had been infected.
That could, be a slight problem. Do you have a visa? She said with concern in her voice.
Yes, I do have a visa but its not a working visa. I cant get a job to pay for me and my sons medical treatment.
Ok, thats fine, but you will need to apply for a working one, you can do that by filling out these forms. Do you want to stay here with me and fill them out, so I can help you understand them?
Yes please, but may I first take my daughter to the toilet?
Yes you may. I will show you the way.
I liked this lady as she was nice to me and didnt look down on me because of my AIDS. To her I was just another South African looking for a new start in a new country. She helped me fill out many forms and get me through customs. Lastly she did something which she didnt have to do, it was not part of her job; she called up a half-way house for people from the African countries to stay in, until they got settled. They had a spare bed for me, she arranged for them to pick me up, help me get started in this strange country. Then she left me, I found one of the hard airport seats and waited until someone picked me up to take me to the half-way house. As I waited I listened to people talking, who knows, I just might pick up a few words of English. At 5.30pm a man walked up to me, greeted me in Afrikaans and then asked me if I was Olivia. I smiled and replied that I was, he just smiled back and said Im here to take you to the half-way house and get you settled. He took me back to a large house, showed me my room and then left so I could sort out my children and get some rest. I couldnt rest because there was too much to take in about this country. We had barely driven an hour to this house yet I had seen landscape that was so very different from the landscape of Africa. Within an hour you could go from skyscrapers to farm land and then back to a city. It was marvelous, but also very frightening, I eventually managed to get both Francis and Anna to sleep, and then I my head fall onto a soft pillow. I let myself have the much needed sleep.
I woke up with a start, looked over at the cot which held my precious baby. I screamed, my baby, my baby. He was not there. Francis was missing. Anna woke and started to bawl. I just keep screaming M baby, wheres my baby. My baby, where is Francis I could not take my eyes off that empty cot. I then heard footsteps running towards my room. Frank burst in; Frank who was the owner and runner of this place.
Olivia, look at me. Olivia, Olivia its ok. Francis is ok. He said in a rush.
Where is my baby, where is Francis?
He is in the kitchen with my wife, he woke up and she heard him crying. You were still asleep, so she took him into the kitchen. So you could keep on sleeping. I looked at him with tears in my eyes.
Francis is ok then? I asked in a rush.
Yes he is I will take you to him. Follow me. He said softly.
I got up, told Anna to follow me and then followed Frank into the kitchen. I saw Francis sitting in a high chair gurgling away happily; I rushed over and picked him up. I held him tightly in my arms. Turned to Regina and said to her politely Please do not take Francis away from my room without asking me first. When I woke up I thought he had been kidnapped and it scared me a lot.
She smiled softly and said Ok, I didnt mean to cause you any stress, I thought I would keep him happy until you woke. I wont do it again.
She put a bowl of food in front of me and I sat down and ate my first proper meal in New Zealand. Over breakfast Frank sat down with me and discussed my options of what we could do to get me started off. We made a list:
- Join Frank at work as a night fill assistant.
- Learn to speak basic English
- Find a house
- Get medical treatment for me and Francis
The night after this all happened I started at work with Frank; I stayed with them for another 6 months during which I saved enough to pay for the bond on a small flat. I will start a course to learn English next month, and then I can get a better job. Francis is getting even sicker now; he cant fight the AIDS for much longer. I know he will die soon, but at least he will have a proper funeral in this country, a grave that is marked with his name instead of a mound of dirt with no name. Anna started at a local school; she finds it really hard to get along with the kids as she doesnt know much English yet. She is a lucky girl though they put her in a room that had a South African teacher so if it is really needed they will speak Afrikaans to each other.
I walked into the room; it was filled with people from every nation. I didnt want to be here. Frank said I had to come, he said it would be good for me. But it had only been a week since Francis
By Natalie Barr
1My name is Olivia; I dont speak English, only Afrikaans.
2Hello, my name is Emma. I am a translator so we can sort out some things, ok.
