Episodes

  • Annabelle Borja's musical migration from the Philippines to Wagga Wagga

    Annabelle Borja's musical migration from the Philippines to Wagga Wagga
    Sep 19 2024
    Annabelle Regalado Borja migrated to Australia from the Philippines with her family. They chose the regional town of Wagga Wagga as their new home on the basis that it was in the same state as Sydney. There was a fair bit of culture shock to overcome! With a keen business mind, Annabelle decided to build her own company in Australia using her experience in the Filipino music industry, after finding it difficult to break into the industry here.
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    44 mins
  • Looking for the funny side in Australia's rental market was the key to Ting Lim's career

    Looking for the funny side in Australia's rental market was the key to Ting Lim's career
    Sep 12 2024
    Born and raised in Singapore, comedian Ting Lim planned to be in Australia to study for just a year. Despite a crazy rental market and a steep learning curve, she fell in love with the landscape and culture of her new home. Ting and Suraj talk dodgy real estate agents, the impact of migration on cultural identity, and how sometimes a risk is worth taking.
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    39 mins
  • Australia became a second home for Urzila Carlson after she left South Africa for NZ

    Australia became a second home for Urzila Carlson after she left South Africa for NZ
    Sep 5 2024
    Urzila Carlson is a hugely successful comedian in Australia and NZ where she now lives, and has also built a significant following overseas. Suraj and Urzila talk about growing up in apartheid South Africa and how it shaped Urzila's world view, how to instil an understanding of privilege in second gen migrants (i.e. her kids), and importantly, how Vegemite outshines all international impostors. A warning that this episode contains strong language.
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    42 mins
  • Comedian Tahir found fame in Australia after migrating as a child

    Comedian Tahir found fame in Australia after migrating as a child
    Aug 29 2024
    Beloved comedian Tahir Bilgiç has established himself as a fixture in Aussie comedy, starring in shows like Fat Pizza, and Here Come the Habbibs. Born in Ankara (Türkiye), Tahir migrated to Australia in the mid 70s as a toddler. He shares his stories about growing up in Australia, the joy of hot chips, going by one name like Beyoncé, and being tagged as 'ethnic comedy'.
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    43 mins
  • Anisa Nandaula on the shock of Rockhampton after migrating from Uganda

    Anisa Nandaula on the shock of Rockhampton after migrating from Uganda
    Aug 22 2024
    Ugandan-born comedian and performer Anisa Nandaula was told by her mother that she was headed to the most diverse part of Australia. This turned out to be the middle of Rockhampton. Anisa steps Suraj through the story of immigrating and adapting to a strange new world, understanding racial differences and the joy of discovering Billabong ice creams.
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    36 mins
  • Indira Naidoo: From smuggled baby to media star

    Indira Naidoo: From smuggled baby to media star
    Aug 22 2024
    Indira Naidoo is a revered media personality and journalist, and an inspiration to many in Australia. Naidoo's parents were fifth generation Indian South Africans living under apartheid. They left the country when Indira was a baby to seek a better life, smuggling her out covered in blankets. The family arrived in Zambia before migrating to England, and then to a small town in Tasmania. She charts the hair-raising journey to Australia, her first impressions of her new home, and how she forged her career in the media.
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    47 mins
  • Getting fired from a job in accounting was Dilruk Jayasinha's ticket to a career in comedy in Australia

    Getting fired from a job in accounting was Dilruk Jayasinha's ticket to a career in comedy in Australia
    Aug 8 2024
    Sri Lankan-born comedian Dilruk Jayasinha moved to Australia to study accounting. After discovering partying and the uni lifestyle, Dilruk was less than successful in that field. But getting fired from his first accounting job may have been a blessing in disguise. Dilruk tells Suraj Kolakar about growing up in Colombo with armed soldiers stationed outside their front door, nearly getting run down by a Melbourne tram when he first got off the plane, and the defining moments that have led him to where he is today.
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    39 mins
  • Comedian AJ Lamarque on his British, Chinese, Indian, South African and Jamaican heritage

    Comedian AJ Lamarque on his British, Chinese, Indian, South African and Jamaican heritage
    Aug 1 2024
    We're back for a second season with a host of new guests sharing the highs and lows of their first months in Australia. Born and raised in North London, comedian AJ Lamarque experienced his first taste of culture shock when he moved to the quiet county of Hertfordshire as a teenager. But even that did not prepare him for moving to Australia when his mother got a job in Sydney some years later. After a couple of false starts, AJ now calls Australia home.
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    42 mins