My name is Sally. I was born in 1941. My father went to war and I never saw him until I was 3,5 years old. My mom was pregnant when he left for war. I had two older sisters so there were girls. After the war my parents had a little boy so they were very very happy. But my story really starts with the First World War.

My grandfather had been a doctor in England but he had come out to live here. When the First World War broke out he said to his wife he would never forgive himself and he would never look in the eyes of his children again if he didn’t go to war. So he enlisted in the army and arrived in Cairo but two weeks later he died from sickness when my grandmother was pregnant with number five. It is a very sad story for us and of course for my grandmother. Her husband never came back. He never saw his youngest child. My grandfather was very fine man and he was very famous here. He was the first surgeon in New Zealand.

So I lived here for most of my life. I was married. My husband has passed away. I have three sons, one of them is a doctor here, other one is a business man in Australia and the youngest one is a banker who he lives in Tokyo, Japan. I also have nine lovely grandchildren.

I think I have been very lucky in my life. I had a lovely husband and a lovely family with two sisters and a brother. I am very lucky that I have traveled around the world. I have been to Istanbul twice and I loved the mosques. We sailed up to Bosporus. It was great. So I am a traveler too and I would like to say thank you for coming our country and listening my story.

Sally
Auckland, New Zealand, 24 October 2018

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Hello, my name is Viktorija. I am 27 years old, and I am from Lithuania. I have been living in Australia for 2 years.

I came to Australia when I was 25. I've met and eventually fell in love with a Turkish guy, whom I met in Lithuania a year before I came here. I moved to Turkey with him and lived in Istanbul for almost a year. I like Turkey and Istanbul very much. I had lots of friends there, and thanks to them, I learned a little bit of Turkish, too, but after a while we broke up and I returned to Lithuania.

After I came home, I started to work again, and suddenly, out of the blue, a friend of mine came up with the idea of going to Australia. I said yes, and a week later we were in Australia.

The guy who took care of our paperwork at the tourism agency told us that Australia is a very beautiful country, and that we could easily find a well-paid job and will be very happy there, but at the beginning, it was far away from the truth.

At first, I struggled very much. I didn't know what to do, I was kinda lost. Eventually, thanks to my travelling experiences, I got myself together. Now, I work as a waitress in order to make my living. Also, I began to design jewelry. I am selling them online. In addition to these, I am taking dance lessons.

Moving to a cosmopolitan country like Australia from a small country like Lithuania improved me and my vision enormously. Istanbul was a very big city too, but it wasn't as cosmopolitan as Australia. If I stayed in my country, I would know only European culture, but in here, living in a multinational and multicultural society gives me happiness and excitement at the same time. 

If I have to express my world-view in one sentence it would be, "It is now or never."

Viktorija Bockute
Sydney, Australia, 9 October 2018

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I was born in Bora Bora in 1986. I use the name "Fara". I have openly been transsexual since my childhood years. This situation has never been a problem for my family, friends or the society that I live in. I have never felt different.

I work as a dancer in the tourism sector. I perform at the hotels. I have a good life. I am very happy here, and I don't want to live anywhere else.

In Bora, everybody accepts and shows respect to transsexuals. I wish the same for all around the world. I want to be the voice of all the transsexuals who live in French Polynesia.

We are not different from you.

Andrea Vanessa
Bora Bora, French Polynesia, 17 October 2018

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I was born in 1996 in Bora Bora. I have a big family. My childhood and school life were very happy. I stayed with my family until I began to work. Now I am living with a girlfriend of mine in this apartment. I love Bora very much, and I don't want to be anywhere else. I work in the tourism sector. I am a member of a dance group which performs local dances at the hotels. Music and dance are my biggest passions.

My biggest wish from life is the happiness of my family.

I am still very young, and I believe life should be lived from day to day. That's the way I do it and will keep on doing it.

Raita Timiona
Bora Bora island, French Polynesia, 17 October 2018

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I was born in Paris in 1927. I studied fine arts. I was enlisted as a paratrooper in the army. I went to Africa, and I lived there for forty years. I worked as the bodyguard of a minister. I lived an adventurous life, both as a soldier and civilian. My biggest passion was hunting, especially in the sea. I used to dive down to 39 meters. I hunted elephants. 

I came to French Polynesia on duty, and I liked being here very much and decided to settle down. I got married and I had two children, but then my wife left me because she didn't want to live here. In 1975, I bought this place in which I have been living since. In those days, I made my living as a painter and sculptor. I've met and married a wonderful woman who designs jewellery. Since my kids were living with us and there was no school in Morea, (with my wife's insistence) I bought a plane, and for ten years, I used it to carry my children to school in Papete. 

I am a lucky man - I have achieved everything that I wanted in my life. One of my paintings was awarded in an art competition in France and exhibited at Louvre.

My only regret is hunting. I killed elephants, and elephants are very smart and wonderful animals. I am very sorry for killing them.
In Africa, I was free and powerful; I did whatever I wanted to whenever I wanted. In French Polynesia, I don't have such power and freedom, but all in all, it is a very beautiful country, and I have been very happy to live here.

Allen Kerebel
Moorea Island, French Polynesia, 21 October 2018

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