Irene Mutune

I never envisioned myself living in any other country other than my home country Kenya. Visiting? Yes, but not living. I grew up with my sister in what was considered a middle-class family, with all my basic physiological and safety needs being met by my Mum and Dad. I attended private primary school, proceeded to a good all-girls high school, and then joined one of Kenya's best universities for my undergraduate and Masters degrees.

I met my husband, Mbogo, in 2005 whilst I was studying on campus. We got married in 2012 in a Kikuyu traditional wedding ceremony as per our culture, and our sons, Maina and Mutune, were born in 2013 and 2016, respectively. We both held pretty decent jobs in Kenya for about 10 years; he was Program Director with a Non- Government Organisation, and I was Branch Operations Manager with a local bank.

Fast forward to July 2016, the NGO my husband worked for saw it 'prudent' to discontinue all its projects in Kenya. This meant that my husband was all of a sudden rendered jobless! Meaning we were only left with one income stream! We were forced to think on our feet quickly, and an opportunity to relocate to Perth, Australia, presented itself. We deliberated on it for several months and carefully referred to our pros and cons list. The pros list won hands down. Australia, here we come.

After meticulously planning for and using up almost all our savings, my husband travelled to Australia in August 2017, and the kids and I joined him in October 2018. Meeting after almost one year apart was exhilarating. I remember my youngest didn't quite know how to approach his dad as he was so little when he left him. My older son had to keep prompting him to call him dad and encouraged him to hug him as he seemed like a 'stranger'.

"Where do you guys live?" people would ask. "Armadale", I would say. Then they would sort of give you a look. You know the look..... that look that has both eyebrows raised and an ooh sound leaves their mouth (hahaha). I didn't ask and they didn't say anything else so I assumed all was well. I soon deciphered what the "look" meant, here's why; one day, my sons are outside playing on the sandpit right outside our house. I'm watching them from the kitchen window as I cook. Suddenly, our good, not-so-good neighbour starts screaming profanities at them!!! I'm confused! "Is that the nice man who helped me fix my son's scooter screaming at them like that?" I ask myself. Before I come back to my senses, my husband is outside grabbing both kids by the hand and guiding them inside the house. I quickly rush and escort them to our bedroom and lock the door behind telling them to stay put and watch cartoons on their devices.

I grabbed my phone and ran outside to my husband and towards my neighbour's door, hitting the record video button on my phone. His partner was now screaming as well. Racist comments flowed from their mouths.

We were being told to go back to our country. We were being called dogs! Who, us? Dogs? We were being told to join Jenny Craig. Who is Jenny Craig? It felt like an out-of-body experience. I was jolted back to reality when the man kicked in his fly screen door, and it warped. One of the other neighbours called the police. No arrests were made, and we were advised to take a Violence Restraining Order, but we didn't.

Traumatised cannot begin to explain the mixed emotions I felt. I felt helpless because I couldn't protect my kids. I could see the despair in my husband's eyes after the incident. We had to move houses. I wouldn't say I like remembering this neighbour nor incident. I couldn't tell you how he looks like, even if I met him on the street today. My brain's coping and healing mechanism perhaps? I choose to forget this outright racist experience, I choose to forget several other subtle racist comments and experiences as I keep my eye on the prize.

I want a brighter future for my two children and that is why we moved to Australia. I want their future generations to excel, prosper and have choice and control over their lives. Did I mention that I am a social worker and a current member of the Australian Association of Social Workers? Did I mention that I work for the Government of Western Australia, Department of Communities? I want to create a positive and meaningful impact in the community through children. They are our future after all. I further volunteer my skills to two multicultural community groups hoping to create a positive impact on CaLD communities.

The little, small milestones continue to empower me. They continue to give me resilience and hope. My journey still continues as I am not there yet. I can still see the light at the end of my tunnel. I continue to rise! My name is Irene Mutune and I am a Kenyan living in Perth, Western Australia.