Meet Tulasi

I am from Malaysia, I can’t believe that I have been here in Australia for six years. In my own country, I didn’t go anywhere: just work, temple, home - sometimes I went shopping with my grandma.

When I arrived, I was scared to meet people but slowly I learnt that I don’t need to be scared here. The first time I went to my caseworker’s house, I asked a few people for directions, everyone I asked was kind - men and women.

When I first arrived it was very hard to get a job, cover letters, references, certificates, paperwork – these things weren’t needed in my country.

I started ASRC Catering on May 24th 2021. I was nervous, because in my country I had only cooked and cleaned at home.

This was my first experience, my first job.

How I cook at home, is how I cook here – it’s my style. Sambal with yellow lentils and vegetables, bubur, green lentils with coconut, pandan, fried noodles - these are the flavours of Malaysia.

Everyone here is very nice, the mentor chefs and the admin staff - wonderful people. They treat everyone like a family. If you don’t know something, or you don’t understand, you can simply ask and they will teach you calmly, step-by-step. The staff have helped me with many problems.

In that kitchen, I learnt a lot of things: how to be patient with other people and how to work quickly when times are busy.

I have a 9-year-old son who goes to primary school here. The advice I gave him is, “if you want to get something, you have to say something. If you want anything, you must be brave”.

This year, I am very excited to learn how to use computers and write emails - I enjoy learning.  My 9-year-old son tells me, “Mumma, you have to learn!”.

I’m so happy to work at ASRC Catering.