. Captions by Antony Vlug. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017 (RELAXED MUSIC) Albany is one of Auckland's newest hubs ` originally a small rural town that's progressively losing its farmland to the supercity sprawl. Between the new housing developments and Massey University's northern campus, it's a magnet for new migrants. Almost half of Albany's residents were born overseas. My family left Iran when I was only 4. We aren't Muslims. We're Baha'i, which is a peaceful religion that believe the world should be one country without borders. As Baha'is, we found it quite challenging to live in Iran, so my parents brought us here to New Zealand to live a more comfortable and easier life. We moved around a lot when I was a kid. And since the Bachelor, I feel like I've been living out of a suitcase. When I finally decided I was ready to settle down, I came to Albany. It's vibrant. There's real energy here, and it welcomes people from all around the world. In this episode of Neighbourhood, a woman from Russia weaves some fairy tale magic for the local kids. (SPEAKS RUSSIAN, IMITATES ROOSTER) Little ones who're born in New Zealand, I want them to have cultural experience. An Albany local lays out some Chinese New Year treats. Cos we're Chinese, we knew how to make dumplings, but Jane's recipe just made it special. Everybody love it. Thank you so much for Jane. (ALL LAUGH, MURMUR IN AGREEMENT) It's my pleasure, yeah. A young woman with Dutch heritage shares the way music has helped her through dark times. My dad had cancer when I was 9, so he had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. So I started writing at 9 or 10 to, kinda, cope with that. That was, kinda, my way of dealing with it. And a Samoan woman makes a welcoming place for Pasifika students at Massey University's Albany campus. I really believe education is a pathway out of poverty. It gives you opportunities. It gives you choices. We don't need to be working on the factory floors like our parents did. I mean, they were back here in the '50s, '60s and '70s. I'm Nazanin Khanjani, and this is my neighbourhood. (RELAXED MUSIC) Because we travelled around so much when we were young ` Iran, Rotorua, Hamilton, Brisbane, back to Iran. All these photos of our travels are really precious to us. This is my dad. He's always been an inspiration to me. He volunteered through the UN to help Baha'i refugees in Turkey, helping them find homes, get visas to their country of choice. I'm so proud of my dad. His inspiration has really made me the strong person I am today. I started playing music before I probably could even talk. My parents always say I was singing before I spoke. So, yeah, music has always been a huge part of my life. It's everything I know. And I just love the power of it. So that was when I was in the Australian girls choir. I always loved to sing, always loved performing, so that was` really fond memories in the choir, really, really fond memories. My dad is Dutch. My mum is half Dutch. So both my parents speak Dutch. They'd speak together when they didn't want us to know what they were talking about as kids. I was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and I moved to Auckland when I was 12. And I lived in Amsterdam for a year. Um, because of that family history, I kind of wanted to see where I was from, and then I moved back to Australia to study music. I love writing music. I'd love to sell songs, even, and write for other people. I'm a big advocate for writing about what you know. My dad had cancer when I was 9, so he had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. So I started writing at 9 or 10 to kinda cope with that. That was, kinda, my way of dealing with it, And that's what I love about music and I love about songwriting ` is you can express and you can really deal with things that are going on in your life. When I was 16, I was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome. They don't know what causes it. Um, it's kinda a bit of a mystery. What happens is you get a cold, your immune system kicks into overdrive to fight this cold. But what happens is it doesn't know good from bad cells, so it just attacks your central nerve system, and everything shuts down. So within three days, I went from being slightly dizzy and a little bit of double vision, um, to in a coma. And then when I woke up three days, or four days, later, um, I couldn't` couldn't do anything ` couldn't open my eyes; I couldn't move; I couldn't feel. Like, it's kinda like a locked-in syndrome, where you are totally aware, you know what's going on, you can hear what's going on, but you can't feel anything, you can't say anything. Yes, it was a very horrible thing that happened and` and very scary, but it was always really live in the ICU. You know, I had a lot of friends and family around, always had music going. And I totally believe that that's how I recovered so quick. You know, the doctors said, 'Two years in a wheelchair... easily.' And I was out on crutches in three months. When I was at Auckland Hospital and I was in ICU and eventually the ward, we would make it, kinda, a daily trip down to the chapel, down to the piano, um, cos it was the only place that had the piano, and so I would rest my hands on the keys and, kinda, feel that sensation slightly, cos I didn't have much feeling, but I could feel it, um, and, kind of, imagining myself playing, cos I had to relearn how to do everything. And because I was a` a singer and a piano player, they were quite worried, cos a lot of GBS patients don't recover full usage of their hands. # There is always tomorrow. # Take your time. # Don't stress too much # and enjoy the ride. I wrote 'Papa Said' a couple of years ago now. I was, kind of, frustrated with myself, um, that I was so tired all the time, because of the fatigue after Guillain-Barre. # My papa said, # oh, we'd never die. # said, 'Here I am.' # Walking on the clouds, and my papa said, oh, we'd never die, said... I called my dad. He said to me that his mother used to say, um, a Dutch saying, that a weed never dies, and us Bouwmeesters are a bit like that. You can't kill us off. # Here I am, walking on the clouds, passing by. # My papa said. # Dad survived cancer. I survived GBS, so it seemed fitting. Um, so that's why I wrote it. Music has always been a huge part of my life. It's, um` It's everything to me. And the next step was to start a school. OK, so you're gonna come all the way up. Good girl. And then five steps of sound. Oh. Well done. Excellent. We picked Albany because, yeah, it's growing a lot. I grew up in Albany, so I really like the area. I went to Albany Junior High. I went to Albany Senior High. I'm very much an Albany girl. I want to hear every 'kuh' and every 'nuh' that you can think of. # Unique New York. Unique New York. Kuh. Kuh. (BOTH LAUGH) Good! I wanna always teach. I love teaching ` get such a high from it. Like, I come home every night, and I'm just like so pumped with adrenaline, cos I love seeing the growth of my students. They are amazing. They inspire me, and I hope that I inspire them equally. # Lavenders green, dilly dilly. # Lavenders blue. Good girl. # If you love me, dilly dilly, I will love you. # There's nothing ever that music can't solve, I think. And for me, as well, it fixes everything. (RELAXED MUSIC) Mum taught me how to make this traditional salad and yoghurt. When I was younger, I'd never use to live olives until one day my auntie told me that it's really good for your skin, and now I love them. Oh, and Dad taught me how to make the best kebabs ever. We never considered cooking was just women's work. Iran is a beautiful country, but it is a challenging place for women to live. I remember walking the streets with a friend and chatting innocently with some boys, when police jumped out of nowhere and bundled the boys into the police car and drove away. You can't walk down the road holding hands unless you're married or related. I certainly couldn't live there, but I do miss the food. When I was 7 years old, I started cooking, because my mother, my father have full-time job. So I need to cooking and look after my brother. I was born in Tianjin, China. Tianjin is very near Beijing. In North China, every family can make dumplings. Normally, uh, the Chinese people` Dumpling pastry, you just put water and, uh... just water, but I improve this recipe. I put in salt, oil and eggs. And pastry is, um... is different. Yes, delicious, I think. My husband and me immigrant New Zealand 1999. My husband told me` told me it's a nice place, but I have to learn English. This is a problem. (LAUGHS) When I came New Zealand, I became a housewife. I have to look after two children. But in China, I have job. But in New Zealand` Yeah, my husband go to work, and I stay at home. But is OK. I start a new life. Different life. So I stay at home nearly 20 years. New Zealand's education is very good. It's a good` a good place. So I think it's a` it's the best choice to immigrate New Zealand. When I was young, not many restaurant we can go to, so we always make food at home. And if you make dumpling, your whole family came together. So it's nice, I think. It's, um` It's a very good time. It's very easy. (LAUGHS) I'm the slow one. Maybe, she'll do 10, and I'll do, like, two. (LAUGHS) Like, with, um` But you're better than your brother. Your brother's eat` eating. Yeah, he` he's responsible for eating part. (BOTH LAUGH) The Chinese New Year Eve, our family sit around the table to make and eat dumpling, yeah. If you can cook the delicious food, you can very good connection with the children. There are many Chinese live in Albany. We often have a gathering. The` maybe cooking gathering. I'm very happy, because I met a lot of friends. Um, the children's, um, parents and, uh, teachers. So the` the life's still exciting. Oh, Jane's wonderful. Wonderful teacher, think the way` Cos we're Chinese, we` we knew how to make dumplings, but Jane's recipe just made it special. Especially the skin, cos I made it before. They were not that stretch, and this time, surprisely, they are really stretching and easy to put them together, and press them, they won't leak. Guarantee it. We're not just housewife ` do some housework. We're doing some love things. Everybody love it. Thank you so much for Jane. (ALL MURMUR IN AGREEMENT, LAUGH) Your welcome. It's my pleasure. Yeah. Qipao is a long history in China. The ladies wear qipao. Um, it's... Looks very` not beautiful. It's very elegant. You know, I travelled to China three times one year. (LAUGHS) So... now I have 30 qipao. In the party, in the Kiwis party, I always worry where` where I dress. You know, Kiwi dresses, sometimes not fit me. Uh, but now I just dress qipao. It's so easy, and everyone says, 'Oh, you're so lovely. You look nice.' So as` I'm very happy. I told them, uh` We make dumpling, but not eat more. When you eat more food, qipao not looks good. (LAUGHS) Tummy's big. (LAUGHS) You know, the Chinese group, we can help the new arrival parent. This is important because, um, when they, uh, immigrant New Zealand, they don't know everything. If they have some question, they can, yeah, put in the group, and everybody can answer her. Albany is a nice` nice community. So it's easy to make friend. (LAUGHS) (RELAXED MUSIC) The level of notoriety I got by being on the Bachelor took my whole family by surprise. My dad's uncle is one of nine Baha'i leaders worldwide. So in the Persian world, our family has a certain status. For me to go on TV, a dating show, it was kind of a big deal. My mum took it really hard. She said I could only go on it if there was no kissing, no bikinis and no drinking. Obviously, she hadn't watched that many reality TV shows. But now she can see that the Bachelor has lead on to lots of other opportunities. And surely that's what every parent wants for their kids ` opportunities. My full name is Silvalia Faye Faye Alailima Sala. I'm actually named after my paternal grandmother. So usually in the Samoan culture, the first child belongs to the father, and so my father had naming rights, and so I was named after his mum. So, uh, this Ula Nifo was a gift that was given to me by my grandmother when I was very young. I don't let anyone use it or borrow it unless I trust the person that it's going to, but in saying that, I've only let one person use it in maybe 30 years. (LAUGHS) It's a whale tooth, uh, necklace. For what I understand it to be, the Ula Nifo is` a traditionally and customarily, it's something that was only worn by high chiefs' daughters back in the day. Every time I see this, it just` so many memories of my grandmother flood back to me. She was around up until when I was about 9 years old before she passed on, so every, kinda, memory I have with her ` sharing the same room as her, going to church with her, doing to prayer with her, going to family engagements ` everything floods back to me when I see this` this necklace. (GENTLE MUSIC) So, you know, my parents' story is probably the same story as most migrant families. Um, and they came to New Zealand in the '70s for a better life. The opportunities for work and employment and, obviously, for us kids was education. And that's why when our grandparents came from the islands and they stayed with us, so Mum and Dad could work and we would go to school. This is my beautiful mum. Yes. Passed away in 2009, and, um, this photo over here is, uh, the photo of my grandma back in the '70s. She would always be the grandmother that always stood up for you, um, would always encourage me to make good decisions, make right decisions, to work hard ` uh, 'Nothing in life is for free' ` to do well in school. Such a wonderful woman ` a woman of faith, a woman that just wanted to see me succeed, yeah. And I think her prayers have really helped in terms of where I am today, yeah. I am the national recruitment adviser for Pasifika students here at Massey University, and I'm also the student recruitment, uh, team leader. Father, we just pray for your presence to be with us today. We pray that you bless this time that we have together, and whatever goes on here today, we just pray that your, um` your spirit will move within us and among us, Father, amen. ALL: Amen. Basically, my role is to encourage higher learning for Pasifika students here at Massey University, so we go into schools, we go into communities and we talking about the importance and value of education and how that could help our communities. I really believe education is a pathway out of poverty. Uh, it gives you opportunities; it gives you choices. We don't need to be working on the factory floors like our parents did. I mean, they were back here in the '50s, '60s and '70s. I think our story should be a story of empowerment, a story of self-determination, um, and we need to be better than the past generations. I heard it from my grandmother, and I heard it from my mum and my dad ` 'Nothing's for free. You have to work hard to get somewhere in life.' And, um` and she said, 'When you work and you're educated, it's not for you,' you know. 'You share it. You share it with your siblings; 'you share it with your family; you share it with your community.' So the event today is, um, graduation week, so, um, tonight we celebrate the Pacific students that are graduating at Massey University in the Albany campus. (ALL SING IN SAMOAN) This is the whole reason why I'm here, the whole reason why a lot of the Pasifika staff is here, is to, you know` this kind of evening is to come and see our loved ones, the students that were supported throughout their time here ` be it three or four years ` uh, to see them be honoured tonight and to finally get that certificate. (ALL SING IN SAMOAN) I love the satisfaction of seeing a student walking across... and graduating. (SIGHS) I love seeing their families. And, um, at every graduation you go to, every Pacific graduation you go to, they're always talking about their mum and dad; they're always talking about their grandparents; they're always talking about God and their faith. Yeah, so it's just amazing for me to see that, so that's one of the best things I love about this job. My grandmother and my mother will be absolutely proud of me. I believe that with all my heart. As Baha'is, we still celebrate many of the Persian festivals, like Sizdah Bedar or Nature Day, where everyone leaves their homes to picnic and spend the day outdoors. If there's one lesson I learned from my time on the Bachelor is that we need to stop believing everything we see and hear on TV. Living in New Zealand, my view of Iran was shaped by what I saw on the media ` bleak and rundown. But when Dad took me back there to live in my early teens, I discovered this beautiful country with amazing culture and history. I really want to share that with the world. I was born in Moscow, in Russia. We came to New Zealand in 2001 in December. It was my husband's decision. One day, he opened the big, um, atlas that shows beautiful Pacific Ocean and two New Zealand islands like paua shells in the blue of the sea. And something struck, (LAUGHS) uh, a deep emotion in me, so I said, 'OK, let's go.' (LAUGHS) I work in Albany Village Library as a children's librarian, and I enjoy doing it very much. (SPEAKS RUSSIAN) (SPEAKS RUSSIAN, LAUGHS) We have a Russian books collection, and it's a part of the bigger Russian books collection that belongs to Auckland Libraries. Do you have some books, uh, which in English and in Russian ` one book? There's this one, Being Good, Byt Khoroshim. It's bilingual. It makes me feel proud that we have books in Russian language, and I love to share with them to families. (GASPS, SPEAKS RUSSIAN) On Saturday mornings, I have two hour story times ` one in English and one in Russian. I have a Russian costume that I wear sometimes... (LAUGHS) ...for special story times. Little ones who were born in New Zealand, I want them to have cultural experience. My mother made this dress, and it makes me feel very special. When I wear this costume, it feels like my mother's hug. (LAUGHS) (SPEAKS RUSSIAN) The story I'm going to read today is called, um, (SPEAKS RUSSIAN), Spotted Chicken and the Golden Egg. (SPEAKS RUSSIAN, IMITATES CHICKEN) It's a traditional, very simple fairy tale. My grandmother read a lot to me, and I was taught to recite verses. I remember one time, in wintertime, our neighbours used to put me on their roof of their wood shed in the snow, and I would recite it in front of everybody. (LAUGHS) You know, stamping my` my foot in the snow. (SPEAKS RUSSIAN) (IMITATES ROOSTER) The most important thing in Russian sessions is for people to get together, celebrate their culture to teach their children about their traditions, and it's very important for little ones who speak Russian to make friends with other children who speak Russian language, so kids can practice their language. (SPEAKS RUSSIAN) Immigrant communities are small, and when we come to a new country, we learn the new values and culture, and we try to, um, assimilate, but it's important for us to remember who we are and remember and cherish the best things from our own cultures. It's really important, especially for kids, because, um, they begin new life here; they go to school; they speak English a lot. It's very important for us to save Russian language, uh, in English environment. It's a great opportunity for my daughter to study Russian. There's great opportunity, um, to chat with people in Russian, listen to Russian story. And it's free, so it's just awesome. I was so much loved when I was a child ` not just my family, but also, you know, professionals who worked with children, who made performances for us and created wonderful celebrations, and I feel like it's my duty to pass that happiness to children whom I work with. It makes me feel connected to my homeland. (GENTLE MUSIC) Although I don't practice the faith now, being brought up Baha'i has taught me some great life lessons. I learned to accept other religions and respect their beliefs, that we are all the same colour under the skin and all deserve to be treated equally. I would love it if a society as a whole could embrace those same ideals. Looking at Albany now, home to new New Zealanders from so many lands, you can almost believe we are on our way. Captions by Antony Vlug. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017