This watercolour painting captures a scene I’ve passed by countless times at Griffith Park, Bankstown, Sydney, an elderly Vietnamese couple quietly feeding birds in the late afternoon light. They arrive like clockwork, park their car facing away from the lot, unfold two chairs, and scatter food for a gathering of ibises, pigeons, and crows. Then, they sit, watching, unhurried, at peace.
As a fellow immigrant, I find myself drawn to this ritual. There’s something both comforting and deeply contemplative about it. Do they see this as a moment of stillness after years of struggle? Having left their homeland, navigating a life shaped by distance, language barriers, and quiet resilience, does this small act of feeding birds offer them a sense of belonging? Or is it a reminder of all they’ve left behind?
This piece explores the intersection of migration, nostalgia, and the pursuit of simple joys in unfamiliar places. It reflects on how, even in displacement, we create new rhythms, where the act of watching birds gather can become an anchor, a quiet declaration of presence