An introduction to Sree

My name is Sree- made in India but assembled in New Zealand. My interests range from dance, music and movies to politics, education and the occasional theme park.

^This is me and here's a brief introduction to my life.

I was born in Kochi, Kerala from the very south of the giant nation of India.

My memories of this place however only consist of the annual visits back, as at the age of 1 my parents decided to pack up and move. Firstly to Egypt where we lived in Addis Ababa for about a year. I wish i had amazing memories of this but truth be told i was just too young. We didn't last very long there before my dad decided it wasn't quite right for us , making the decision to move to Kinshasa (Congo). I have vague memories of my early childhood here. Being in the position my father was, we were quite sheltered from the happenings around us. I was a blissfully ignorant child with a seemingly wonderful life. It was only looking into this area later on when the age of the internet came around, that i realised the true horrors that were actually taking place.

It wasn't long before my dad decided this also wasn't the right place to settle, so after around 4 years he started applying for jobs elsewhere. Now my dads profession doesn't require travelling or relocating, he simply just doesn't like monotony. He got a job offer in a small city (Auckland) at the bottom of the world in a place called New Zealand. Before we knew it, my mother, brother and i were on another plane to a faraway land. To a seven year old Sree this was pretty much somewhere in America. I didn't quite know geography well enough at that point. Auckland was a different world entirely to what i had experienced thus far. I was pretty much the only remotely "ethnic" person in an almost all white school. As much as this sounds like a set up for a truly awful story filled with bullying and exclusion, the reality was far from it. I was blessed with a pretty inclusive community. The biggest or most prominent difference i could note was that there were no exams or tests and most of the primary education system revolved around playing or games. A distinct change to that of India and Africa.

I guess i don't really need to say that we only lasted 4 years in Auckland before moving, this time to the "Garden City" otherwise known as Christchurch. While spending the summer with my grandparents in India, my brother and I got a phone call saying that we would be flying directly to Christchurch as opposed to Auckland. Being that we had moved so much by that point, it wasn't as big of a shock as it could have been. So our adventures started in the place I now call home. I adore where I live and although its not the most riveting of cities there are definite plus points such as being a couple of hours drive away from the likes of this:

I could go on about my experiences in Christchurch but that would largely include my Highschool journey, which could be a post in and of itself. So i think i'll leave it here. This is story of a girl born in a world entirely different to the place she now calls home, and everything (almost) in between.

^ Castle Hill NZ