He last saw his father when he was eight years old.
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While he lived as a refugee in Iran, Mahdi Eslampanah's father made his way to Australia.
He was carving out a new life for his wife and three sons. But it took 10 years for the family to be reunited in Wagga.
"I really missed him for all those years," said the 18-year-old Mahdi.
"We only saw [each other] on video call all that time, so I was really very excited to see him again."
Of Afghani heritage, Mr Eslampanah and his brothers were born refugees.
"My dad and mum, they came as refugees to Iran," Mr Eslampanah said.
"They don't like refugees [in Iran]. I was born there, I spoke Persian, but I could not be a citizen.
"The situation is not good for refugees. One day, we knew they would've kicked us out, so we knew we'd have to go just not where we'd go."
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Mr Eslampanah, his brothers and his mother, arrived in Wagga only two months ago.
Having spent their lives in a country that does not recognise their statehood, life in Wagga has presented a welcome change.
"I honestly knew nothing about Wagga before, only that my dad told me in Australian there is a good education and good living," he said.
"I've been told that in four years, I might be able to be a citizen, so I am looking forward to that."
Over the past decade, he has had few reasons to celebrate. On Friday, he joined others from all over the world to observe the end to international Harmony Week.
"In Wagga, there are some other Afghan families that we have been able to communicate with," he said.
"We communicate with people from every other nation, some that we have never known before."
Mr Eslampanah has also begun attending language, mathematics, science, and humanities classes in TAFE - something he had been otherwise kept from in Iran.
"In Iran, we were allowed to go to primary school, but we had to be separated from the other [students]," he said.
"When they separated us, it drove me crazy. Here, we are not separate, we are all together and it's really good."
"We communicate with people from every other nation, some that we have never known before."
Mr Eslampanah has also begun attending language, mathematics, science, and humanities classes in TAFE - something he had been otherwise kept from in Iran.
"In Iran, we were allowed to go to primary school, but we had to be separated from the other [students]," he said.
"When they separated us, it drove me crazy. Here, we are not separate, we are altogether and it's really good."