Tasnim

What was the last thing you ate? 

I had a croissant and milk. 

If you had $50 what would you buy? 

I’d pay for my shuttle bus. I have to go to North Shore every Friday, I bus to the city and take a shuttle to the Shore. It’s $60 for the semester for 30 rides. Ugh! 

Ok, give us your Wikipedia bio. 

I was born in Saudi, I lived there for 13 years before I moved to New Zealand. We had to leave Saudi because my dad passed away. I don’t have a Saudi passport, even though I was born there, because we’re not considered Saudi…My family is from Eritrea, in East Africa, although five of us kids were born in Saudi. But the government says that if you don’t have a man in the house you can’t live in the country, so as soon as my Dad passed away the Government told us we have to go back to Eritrea. But we could never ‘go back’ because Dad was outspoken against the government… With us having Dad’s last name, we don’t know what would happen to us. So we applied to come to NZ when my Dad passed, and we had to wait 7 years for them to let us in. Because Saudi wasn’t considered in ‘danger.’ 

Are you mad at Saudi Arabia for kicking you out like that? 

Kinda. It’s still my country, I was born and raised there, it’s my home and childhood. But…that’s their rules. I’m grateful to have moved to NZ. I’m starting Uni today, and if I was still in Saudi I wouldn’t be in Uni. Mum would have to send me to another country like Malaysia…I still miss it, but it’s not like I’d go back there because I want to be a police officer. And in Saudi that’s for men and I wouldn’t even get close to working as a police officer. 

Moving from Saudi to NZ at 13 must have been a big change, was it difficult? 

It was at the beginning. In year 9 and 10 I was a shy person. I didn’t talk to anyone, and then I signed up for YWCA. That’s how I started opening up, being open and socially aware. But it’s the small things that are difficult. Even NZ’s weather – because it never rains in Saudi. If it rains everyone stays home, but here everyone keeps going…! I found it easier than my older sister. She came with a degree, as a doctor, and she couldn’t practice that here… she’s been working as a teacher aide. 

Do you feel like NZ welcomed you as a Kiwi? 

Going to Roskill was easy, because it’s diverse, everyone looks and acts like me. But some of the other people, like outside Roskill and the city, they stare. That’s how it is in NZ, you get stared at but they don’t say anything. It’s weird. But you get used to it. 

Obviously after Christchurch, NZ’s seriously been looking at whether we’re racist and islamophobic, do you think we’re doing enough to counter prejudice? 

I think we’re starting to do some soul searching on whether we’re racist, but…I think NZ needs to deal with indigenous rights too. We need to talk about it. But we don’t. I don’t know why everyone’s scared to talk about it? You just need to open your mouth and talk…A close Aunty of mine she was in the mosque, in the female section, when the Christchurch shooter came in. The women just heard gunshots and were locked in the female section. To this day she can’t sleep, she sits there, she goes and prays but she says everytime she closes her eyes she hears shots. People say that you never understand it until it happens to you, and yeah, the weeks after were hard. I tucked my scarf in incase anyone tried to grab it, and I’d put my hoodie up and my headphones on…But NZ handled it well… those in Christchurch said it did make a difference in the way non muslims reacted. In a way it was good because people started understanding our religion more, going to mosques, asking questions. But also, why did something like that need to happen in order to get to know us? 

When you think about your future where do you see yourself? 

I want a degree and to be a detective in the long run. I don’t see myself married or with kids, because being a police officer you put your life at risk every day. I don’t want anyone to risk being with me. I want to be in love but…it’s not a big deal. It’s about my career. 

Why do you want to join the police? 

I want to be a police officer because I’m black, I’m Muslim and female. I’m the three things society hates, so I just want to be a familiar face for people like me. 

Does that feel like a lot of responsibility to you? 

No. If I’m not going to do it then who is? 

So now you’re 18 do you feel like an adult? 

When I was 14 I was like, yeah I’m ready! But now I’m 18 I don’t think I’m ready. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready, I just gotta act like I got it ‘till I actually get it. It’s nerve wracking now…I’m no longer a child and now everything matters.