TSIGE'S BEAUTIFUL DREAM

Tsige Esayas is a sweet, soft spoken, girl with a lovely smile and the
brains and beauty to match.

She was born in Eritrea 20 years ago. And spent a few years of her early life in Ethiopia, because of the unstable political situation in her home country.

By a stroke of luck, she arrived Australia in the year 2000 to begin a brand new chapter of her life - a long way away from Asmara.

And her world began to change!

“Life in Eritrea was extremely difficult for our family”, she said. “We were in constant fear for our lives…And fear of authority, violence, and destruction was never far away”.

Generally, it was the type of fear that rose and fell according to individual circumstances and the political climate in the new Republic during that time.

Meanwhile, Tsige has found some peace of mind and stability. She is doing extremely well for herself here; working and studying and generally happy to an Australian.

In fact, she appears to be quite comfortable with her new environment. And she reckons “Australia is a great nation; and a good place to live…There are lots of opportunities here”. No extremes of wealth and poverty!

One thing is certain, though: Tsige’s star is shining. She is a young woman of distinction, a great communicator who believes she has what it takes to be successful; and who injects a great deal of energy and optimism into her life with delightful results.

She has made her mark in the mainstream labor market; having worked in the retail sector ; and gained useful experience that has served her well.

Tsige enters the university next year to study financial accounting – a milestone for a young woman who came to Australia as a refugee a few short years ago. Now, she believes that studying at the university will “open doors” and improve her life chances.

Thus, behind the sweet smiles (and lady-like demeanor) lies a rock-solid determination to succeed. Tsige definitely believes her time has come.

And what does the future hold for her? Undoubtedly, Tsige wants to “work hard and be successful” and nothing will stand in her way.

But her most beautiful dream is to go back to Africa one day, and help the poor and the less fortunate ones who are still struggling for survival in the most appalling circumstances.