My First Year in Australia

Writer and director Tig Terera was born in Zimbabwe and raised in Australia. He's the creator of the SBS TV series Swift Street, a love letter to the multicultural inner-Melbourne community where Tig grew up. After an unusual arrival into Australia as a child - travelling in the cockpit of the aeroplane - Tig has continued to walk his own path. In this episode Tig and Suraj talk about the complications of being caught between cultures, where creative inspiration comes from, and becoming comfortable in your own skin.

When Jo Gowda married and moved to Australia she worried she would always miss her life in India. But it wasn't long before she found her feet. With a keen interest in cricket and a taste for the occasional morning beer Jo soon felt right at home in Brisbane. A tough job market meant Jo had to leave her sports analysis career behind, eventually leading to a wildly different path as a comic. Hear Suraj and Jo chat about the frustrations of finding a job as a new migrant, parenting across cultures, and being ridiculed by friends for newly acquired traffic angst during holidays back to India.

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.

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.

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.

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'.

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.

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.

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.

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.