Better late than never - A proud AMEP grandma

Sandra & her grandchildren

My name is Sandra. I'm Italian, from Bologna, a Medieval town with the oldest University in the world.  I'm 70 years old and now (with my husband Luigi) I'm a DL student.  I think we are the only people so aged, but we must study English, having decided to live in Canberra because our only daughter and our only (for now) granddaughter live here.

At the moment however, we're waiting excitedly for the second baby!!

Writing about my experience in Australia is very helpful to calm our excitement.  I think that the many difficulties that I have to face is nothing compared to the happiness of living every day as grandparents, or 'Nonni', so it's worth the effort. 

It's very hard to learn a new language at our age. Someone said that it's a good way to keep your brain active, but I reply that my heart is suffering with the stresssssss!  Yes, everyone is very friendly and patient, but I feel embarrassed or stupid when, very often, I don't understand what they tell me.  Moreover we have to speak Italian with our 6 year old granddaughter, who is already perfectly bilingual. But we don't work, so our practice of English isn't intensive.

Luckily, we have met lots of Italo-Australian people who are very kind. Now our dear friends, who helped us to become integrated into the local community, and some warm neighbours are very curious and interested in the Italian culture (such as food, fashion, movies), so we are proud to add some little pieces to the Australian multicultural life.

Another big stroke of luck was to meet Christine, our DL teacher who is so patient and supportive when we make lots of mistakes.  Now, she's becoming a friend, because she knows our problems and our delights and she encourages us in our little steps to improve our English.

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While I was waiting for my blog post to be published, my second granddaughter was born.  Welcome my dear Audrey Alice!  Thank you for your red hair, like me!  This is another special gift and for that I love you much more!"

Congratulations to Sandra, Luigi and family on the safe arrival of your granddaugher and on being a good example for our more senior AMEP learners.

• Is age a barrier to learning English?  Why or why not?
• What are the challenges and rewards for the more senior migrants in Australia?
• Is it necessary for grandparents to learn English and how can they practise their English?

Why not share your views below!