John Obell is used to Novocastrians asking him where he's from or why he's here.
Originally from Nairobi, Kenya, Obell has lived in Newcastle for 18 years.
He first arrived to study at the University of Newcastle. He came because he found a business management course which was affordable and took less time than similar courses in Kenya.
He arrived and soon after fell in love with a woman from Kotara, right here in Newcastle, also studying business management.
These days the couple have children and he works for the federal government.
Obell is now an Australian citizen, but he gets asked about his origins all the time. He understands people are curious but he does get tired of it.
"People are interested to know where people have come from," Obell says.
Now on YouTube
Obell found himself with more time after the pandemic hit, so he decided he'd flip the situation and ask other foreigners and newcomers where they were from on his newly created YouTube channel.
"I thought 'What can I do to get out of the house?' I went, bought some of the equipment and got started," he says.
He's never done anything like this, but he set up a studio at the Sydney Junction Hotel; they kindly gave him a room that was free due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
His first interview was in late August with a woman named Cheryl originally from Malaysia.
Called "Living Abroad From Overseas", the interviews are found on his personal John Obell channel (he goes by the moniker "Uncle Jonny"), which now has about 1700 subscribers.
Since August he's interviewed 20 people on his show who live in Newcastle and are originally from overseas.
His guests have been from India, Botswana, Jordan, Philippines, Japan, Ghana, US, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Nepal and more.
Many people tell him how they've struggled with the Australian lingo.
Obell found his interview with the student from Botswana particularly interesting.
"When he arrived here, he was told to pay bills every fortnight. Back home they pay bills monthly. That one really shocked him. He thought 'Where do I get money to pay bills every two weeks?'," Obell says.
"Some of them look for accommodation and you must have a reference or rental history, but if you're here for three days, where do you get that rental history? It's very hard for them to get accommodation or references.
"Those are the things that are very challenging for people who have just arrived from overseas."
A changing city
When Obell reflects on his time in Newcastle, he thinks the city has changed.
"Initially with the Novocastrians there were so much surprise to see black people, 'Why even are they coming here?' There was a riot here, although I'm not refugee, they didn't want refugees here," Obell says.
Obell is referring to a protest and anti-immigration sentiment which occurred in Newcastle in January, 2005.
He says he feels that since that time Newcastle has become more multicultural and people have realised that refugees are just people; they're not trying to take anything away from anyone else.
A window into Australia
Obell is enjoying showcasing all the different cultures and stories from his Beaumont Street studio, and he says he has people all over the world watching from countries like Libya, Bangladesh and Morocco.
It's the story of how people are living together in the world. It's a bit of education as well. If you are travelling to Australia, you know what to expect, know a little bit more about it.
John Obell
"It's the story of how people are living together in the world. It's a bit of education as well," Obell says. "If you are travelling to Australia, you know what to expect, know a little bit more about it."
Obell plans on continuing the interviews into 2021, and he welcomes anyone in Newcastle originally from overseas to contact him for an interview. He calls the project his side hustle, and he hopes to make money from it one day.
"I like being busy so this one keeps me busy. Eventually I will have to interview 275 people," he says.
