Tasmanian Times recently met some of the board members of Culturally Diverse Alliance Tasmania (cdat.com.au) and we were impressed with what they are doing.
The Culturally Diverse Alliance of Tasmania is committed to the promotion of social cohesion and the building of a strong social fabric that celebrates our unity and oneness while acknowledging and nurturing our diversity.
We invited them to provide, through their board and the communities they are in touch with, some diverse perspectives on life in Tasmania. Here is the first in what we hope will be many contributions. CDAT Board member Eri Mullooly-Hill Konishi reflects on how travel gives her a sense of where she belongs.
I love travelling. Since a young age I have been fortunate that my parents were always supportive of me going overseas and experiencing new and different cultures. My mother had a dream as a young lady to become fluent in English, which she later perhaps subconsciously planted in me and I seem to have gently moved towards that direction.
When I was in junior high school, I already knew that I wanted my future university studies to include a year abroad. When I was 21 I told my parents I wanted to go to Germany as an exchange student, they were both positive about it. This was my first long-term stay away from Japan.
From then onwards, I have spent lots of time abroad, both short-term and long-term. Travelling always makes me feel fulfilled, bold, and nourished. Following my outflowing curiosity and chasing the wonders that tickle my heart.
The flow of moving often frees my mind as well as forcing me to be very adaptable and flexible. It challenges my habits, nudging me to constantly reconstruct who I am.
In a way, it is like a continuous self-discovery process because we tend to be in much more unexpected and changeable situations when we are away from home, which often requires us to act the way we probably wouldn’t in our normal life.
In return, this can also serve as a great platform for easing ourselves away from all the familiar cultural norms, rules, and expectations attached to our daily lives. I think this helps us become bolder and less worried, and many people seem to refer to this as ‘feeling light’ when travelling. These experiences, coupled with the heartfelt joy of encountering something new, attracts me very much.
It feels strange not having searched online for a flight ticket since late 2019. When my husband and I moved back to Tasmania in 2019, we kept our plans open. We wanted to see how it would feel to be here this time. Depending on that, the length of our stay was going to become clearer. I was keen to stay here for a sufficient length of time, especially for my career path. My profession is Dance Movement Psychotherapy. I wanted to plant its seed here in Tasmania and I knew it would take time. Before migrating I had been shifting places frequently. Therefore it had been difficult to establish something long-term, so I was ready to finally have a stable base.
However, this was based on the premise that I would visit my parents and friends in Japan regularly. I didn’t calculate that this would become impossible. In one way I feel ambivalent about the current flight situation. It is so great for the environment that we collectively fly so much less now. But… it means I can’t see my family and friends. As we have no idea when we can freely move around again, there is a dawning realisation in my mind. I must say I was aware of this before, but now I can feel it deeply and almost painfully in my heart.
On top of the reasons why I love travelling, there is an underling significant fact:
I enjoy going away because I know there is home I can always return to.
Tasmania has been slowly becoming my second home. I have made precious friendships, met many beautiful people, found a fulfilling job I am passionate about, and a Bollywood dance group I really enjoy being part of. I am already quite accustomed with the landscape. I have become more used to the accents and slang of Australian English. In my case, I am very fortunate to have my parents-in-law nearby. My family connection here makes me feel so much more part of the local community and society.
In the first place I came here upon my own decision. However, even with all these privileges, I can’t deny that I am missing my home in Japan so much under this circumstance. It is my root and identity: the very primitive base of who I am, which will never change or be surrendered. Therefore, not being able to access to my homeland within an unknown time-frame is very difficult. A few weeks ago I was talking to my friends here from overseas and we all shared that we tried not to think about it because it’s too confronting.
I think, for us as migrants, now it is ever so important to find and become part of like-minded communities, no matter how small they are. Obviously I adore my small Japanese connections here and it is just great being able to talk in regional dialects and understand each other without needing to be conscious of our cultural habits.
However, I believe true connection exists beyond this scope and if we feel the ‘click’ it doesn’t matter where we come from. Cultivating these sorts of deep, trusting, and nourishing connections will help us feel safe and grounded, despite the distance from our homeland. They will provide us with the sense of belonging which we so especially need in these times.
If we belong to an understanding and empathetic community, I think we can all move forward together through our support and care for each other. On reflection, one of the lessons to take from the pandemic is this: perhaps it is time to review our individualistic societies and re-recognise the value and importance of communities and community spirit.
Eri Mullooly-Hill Konishi is a board member of CDAT. Born in Nara Prefecture, Japan, she has always been curious about cultural differences. She has lived in Germany, UK, Australia, and stayed long-term in India. Her love of dance and belief in the power of dance led her to move to London in 2010 to study a MA in Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP) at Goldsmiths, University of London. Since graduating in 2012, Eri has offered DMP to various groups of people in Japan and Australia. Currently she is working for The Parkside Foundation as a dance tutor and for Second Echo Ensemble as a dance/movement artist, as well as offering DMP workshops and individual sessions. Embracing body as a central focus, Eri brings authenticity and joy into working with people.
She wishes to thank Rupert Mullooly-Hill Konishi for assistance with proof-reading and editing.
