One day there was some trouble with the Tamil Tigers in the city. The boarders disappeared and the police came looking for me because they thought I was involved. I had to hide for nearly 2 years, hiding and moving everyday. Finally I organised to leave because my life was in danger.

In Sri Lanka I never wore a headscarf nor did I cook, but in Australia I want to express my cultural identity in these ways. I never learnt how to cook but I used to watch my sisters, so when I came here I made their recipes. Now I cook Sri Lankan food every day and one of the most difficult and specialised dishes is a string hopper.