Fasha Feisol

Growing up in Indonesia, life was never quiet and we were never alone. From the time we were babies, we were surrounded by many faces from many places, always another familiar smile, another pair of arms ready to hold us, another voice calling our name.

My parents were both expats/immigrants, far from their own families, so they built a village of their own. It wasn’t just Mum and Dad who raised us, we were blessed to grow up alongside our nannies, our housekeepers, and their children, creating memories, sharing meals, everyday moments, the kind that slowly turned strangers into family. And so beautifully, 35 years later, we are still connected, still in contact with each other, still very much an extended family.

It’s only now, living in Australia, that I truly understand what a gift that was. I miss that closeness, the warmth, the noise, the way someone was always there but it has shown me how rare and beautiful it was to grow up held by so many people.

Now the sweetest part is watching my children experience it too. When we go home, back to our village, our people, they are wrapped in that same love. A reminder that family is not only who you are born to.

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