My name is Banana and I was born in a refugee camp in Thailand. I am  Karen, one of the ethnic groups in Burma.

Many Karen people live in Burma but also in Thailand refugee camps. The life of Karen people in the camp is very difficult --  we have no freedom, no rights to do what we want to. We can’t go out of the camp to find a job and we don’t have enough opportunities to study.

We have schools in the camp but not enough. We can’t continue to study even though we finish high school because there aren’t school in camp except high school. Because of this situation many people, especially young people, they lose their future and lose their dreams.

If we compare Thailand and Australia, it’s very different. People in refugee camps are very poor, they want to move to another country but they don’t have a chance.

I’ve been here nearly a year. I was very excited and nervous on the first day that I arrived in Oz and I was very happy to live in here because I had a chance to study. Now I’m studying at AMES, CSWE 3. I’ve learnt many things and am gaining lots of knowledge. Everything is new for me.

If someone asks me why I came to Australia the answer is I want to study to improve my education. If I’m good enough, I’ll try to be a nurse. This is the dream that I have had for many years.

If I become a nurse, I can help my people. I’ll try my best. This is my goal!!!!