Aotearoa/ New Zealand my new Home

Arriving in NZ in 2004 has been an adventurous, challenging, poignant, overwhelming and finally an enlightened journey for me…………and I could add so much more…maybe one day I will write about it. In very brief steps, I will describe some of the positive and happy moments and also some of the very challenging, sad moments, in my life relating to my migration process; just to give you all a glimpse of all that we learn about in Occupational Language: Occupational justice, occupational apartheid, occupational deprivation, occupational displacement and disruption, occupational performance and participation, occupational adaptation…….and much more.  

Social isolation and loss of role can be a very debilitating experience factor in one’s life that can take one down in a spiraling chute straight into depression…..and this was one of my experiences that I encountered upon coming to a new, strange land with no family and support systems. I cannot do much justice to actually paint a very realistic picture with words of exactly how I felt…but I will try and do my best. What is it to feel displaced? Physical objects are tangible and observable. These are inanimate objects like tools and furniture and decoration, other objects are organic i.e. plants and animals. There is the social and culture context which is archetypical and contains people, communities, groups their ways and rights and rituals which has a profound impact on our sense of belonging. The familiar methods and habits that we are used to. Religious and political systems and patterns, motivation and behavior which are all very familiar to us. These form the core stability and security of individuals just because one is exposed to the environment and its demands.  Perhaps it feels like a child’s bed-draggled, frayed cuddly toy or blanket that she/he drags around everywhere and cannot fall off to sleep without it. She/ he will be distraught and traumatized if the object of their desire disappear and it will be an experience that the mother would not want it repeated……..in some similar ways I felt like that when I first came to NZ and was in the process of assimilation…..i lost appetite and experienced anhedonia, even though NZ is so very beautiful: …..but today I would rather be here than anywhere else in the world! …………….The positive and good part is that……….I became a mother once again and the birth of my daughter was a mitigating factor in my rebirth and resurrection to a new beginning and looking at life through a new pair of lenses. What is “place and home”? According to Christiansen& Townsend (2004), place has various meanings and connotations and different people give it different meaning for different purposes, often as a result of shared experiences. However, there are archetypes places that primarily allow human beings to primarily seek shelter that serve a fundamental requirement of meeting basic needs. This leads me to express the meaning of “home” and what it means to me; and how it may differ for others. Home embodies safety, warmth, and unconditional acceptance and basically it is to me a haven of comfort and well-being, where I have the freedom to express, interact, be, become, and unwind and reach out to myself. Therefore I can relate to the magic phrase by Dorothy “There’s no place like home” in the series of books about Oz by L. Frank Baum………however, very sadly this is not the ideal scenario of “home” for many…..as it is marred by domestic violence and abuse that destroys the sanctity of home and hence tarnishes all idealness one dreams of what one primarily associates with “home”…… and alters its archetypal meaning as place of safety, nurturance and love. I must add that I have been one of these fortunate cases that have experienced such a tarnished image of home and its archetypal meaning and loss of place and displacement. I was a single mother displaced from home and culture and everything familiar and secure was out of reach.This displacement disrupts the most basic everyday occupations of survival, well-being and one’s basic human rights are violated……..However, as I mentioned above that I have learnt to look at life through different lenses has not only helped me find meaning in my life, but gave me meaningful occupation to rebuild my life as part of a wider community so come along and ……..follow me on my journey of how I went about rebuilding: occupational participation, meaningful occupation and roles, building autonomy and inter-connectedness, and well-being and I have found a new home away from home…New Zealand.

I have mentioned that one of the best investments I could have given myself is studying occupational therapy. I cannot augment how much it means to me, but tell you in simple words that I have come a few steps closer to the truth of self-discovery. It has been a very profound journey. I have actively gone about occupationally rehabilitating myself with meaningful activity. I have some very fun filled, cultural flavored, meaningful integration that I occupied myself with that brought back my sense of occupational justice, autonomy, and social inclusion and therefore my life was enriched with spiritual dimension and occupation.

Below is a website you can access; it’s one of the events I have been actively involved that was extremely meaningful to me and I believe I will be a better Occupational therapist tomorrow because of my personal journey of meaningful integration within the community which was instrumental in building self-esteem, motivation, and well-being. These experiences are priceless, not just because I was actively involved, but that it gave me hope, strength and faith in the human race through meaningful connections and bonding…….

I am happy to share some very memorable moments of my life……and in turn I wish for all those who experience occupational displacement and disruption and disengagement, they draw some inspiration and hope. Cultural connections can be an important tool for re-engagement and meaningful intervention for our clients in therapy.   

http://www.nelsonmulticultural.co.nz/EVENTS/Indian+Celebration+of+Rakhi.html