IMED1108 Women's Health Essay: Childhood and Adolescence Analysis

This essay, titled "Stranger Fruit, Whiskey Dreams," explores the author's experiences with women's health, childhood, and adolescence. The narrative begins with the author's move to Australia at age seven and her early schooling, highlighting her academic achievements and artistic inclinations. It delves into her social development, family dynamics, and exploration of identity, including her experiences with drug use and alcohol. The essay touches upon her changing cultural identity, grappling with being a Black woman in Australia and the complexities of her Sudanese heritage. It traces her personal journey through high school, her evolving career aspirations, and the challenges she faced in reconciling her cultural background with her environment. The essay provides insights into the author's personal development and her evolving understanding of her identity.

Running head: WOMEN'S HEALTH
Women's health
Student name
Student ID
Author’s note

Women's health
Moving to Australia with my mother at age of 7, just after my birthday was marked by
schooling at The Lexington. My academic progress impressed my mother and she enrolled me in
extra curriculum activities at the same school. The Lexington was the school where I completed
both lower and middle school education and it was during the years of middle school when I
developed the passion for art. In addition to that I exhibited high levels of social skills and made
many friends. Fortunately, I was chosen to lead others in several activities, including school
choir. I did participate in several school related activities and won laurels. The passion for
painting was discovered in the Lexington and rightly acknowledged by the creative weekly
magazine; by featuring my artwork. I was fortunate enough not to face financial hardship due to
my mom being a well-paid psychologist at Perth hospital. The neighbourhood where we lived
was conducive of bringing up child. My mother remarried an Australian man named John who
was a great father; however, their martial life was laced with constant fights making family life
disruptive.
It was during this time I started exploring my skills for music and experimented with
guitar. Being aloof from my family due to constant family issues I grew closer to my friends. It
was during that time I started taking drugs and experiment with alcohol. I often had access to
Ativan from the medicinal cupboard from my mother and was more drawn to consume it more as
opposed to alcohol. The reason I was drawn to the medicinal drug, rather than alcohol as I felt
the use of medicinal drugs made me feel alive. I indulged in reading and completed books like
Twilight and Hemingway in less than a week. Later I joined North Oldham Primary School at
age of 12 in 2015. I was greatly drawn towards arts and participated in several creative
workshops. By the time I began with my High School, I was highly clear about my career choice
and I made my mind that I need to build my career on Arts industry. Initially, my parents
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Women's health
vehemently opposed my career choice. However, after sometime they became empathetic
towards my career choices and supported me for the same.
However, reality dawned on me when I was in the last year of high school. I realised that
I was different from the others, I was Black. I was in Australia as a Black girl; however, I was
not black until I came here. Being born and brought up in Sudan I did not bother about colour or
race. Southern Sudan is a country with problems related to identity division; however, those
divisions were mainly created on basis of ethnicity and religion. My identity while growing up
was Black Australian I felt Sudanese was a type of healthy referral especially while visiting
Melbourne to meet my cousins. During that time, I would think my nationality to be as
Sudanese. After high school I felt aloof due to different culture and upbringing. I realised my
identity, I am not just an African, I was Sudanese, a woman, I was a black woman.
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