Jok:“ I was born in Bor in Central South Sudan. Life in my village was simple, peaceful and satisfying. All the neighbours were relatives and our first friends were our cousins. The family bond was very important. This continues today, even though we are not in one geographical location. We share what little we have and help each other out.
Life was centred on the customs and practices of our people. We would help cultivate crops, mainly sorghum. As boys, our main task was to look after livestock, starting with goats and sheep. As we grew older we graduated to calves and eventually cattle. We tied them down at night and released them in the morning for grazing and moved them looking for pasture and water. We protected them from wild animals and thieves and had to ensure they didn’ t get lost and destroy people’ s crops. Cattle are Dinka’ s life! We think we were the first in the world to tame cattle. They are our pride, especially the pride bulls whose horns could be twisted in a Nilotic practice that we share with the ancient Egyptians.
That life came to an end with war. I grew up during the war but in 1991 everything was destroyed. I left with my sister’ s family and lived in internal displaced camps in South Sudan. Eventually, I walked for many days before ending up in the famous( or infamous) Kakuma Refugee Camp in Northern Kenya. During my 10 years in this camp, my goal was to get an education, even if it was the substandard. Despite the hardships, I managed to finish my education and taught in the Primary School for two years. This developed my passion for knowledge.
The further I am from home, the closer I get to my dream- education. I arrived in Brisbane in 2005 on a Humanitarian Visa sponsored by my cousin, with financial assistance from my nephew in the USA. Six months after my arrival, I enrolled in a Business Communication Degree but changed and completed a Law Degree. I also have a Masters in International Relations and I am currently pursuing a Masters of Law( International Law) and a Graduate Certificate in Domestic Violence. My passion for Alternative Dispute Resolution led me to train as a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner and I worked for Relationships Australia before getting a job with Interrelate in Coffs Harbour.
I am a positive pessimist because I think the world is not our friend until we befriend it. Looking back, the culture repertoires that I have carried with me from home are the tools I shall always have. In essence, my passion is to have a positive impact on my community. Suffice to say, for me, life is the aggregate of fulfilled, unfulfilled and future dreams. Hope is tethered on the past with a long rope to reach the future. I often dream about impossible things and it keeps me going...”
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