Elizabeth overcomes disappointment

My name's Elizabeth and I'm from China. I've been in Australia for seven months now. Before coming to Australia my husband and I did a lot of preparation. We made plans to help me find a job here and after a lot of hassles, we successfully brought our two dogs here. Finally, we worked out how much it would cost us to live in Australia for three months and brought sufficient savings with us. Since I'd been here three years earlier and loved what I experienced in Australia, I came with high expectations.

Things however were not the same as what we expected. Originally, we planned to settle in Newcastle, a coastal town not far from Sydney. However, because we could not find a proper house to rent we returned to my husband’s hometown in central NSW. It was difficult as I couldn't find a job for a while. So we put our savings and effort towards starting a new business in pet grooming. It took quite a while for us to settle and it was only after receiving help from my parents-in-law, that our lives got back on-track.

Running the new business has not been easy. One day I received a phone call from one of my clients. I could not hear her very well and she could not understand my English. She began saying something very rude to me over the phone. I felt both sad and angry at the same time. So I became scared of talking to people on the phone. Slowly I stopped answering phone calls and left all the communication jobs to my husband. I was so disappointed.

What helped me was a phone call from the Distance Learning Centre saying that I was able to start my English lessons online. After starting DL I've come to see that all new migrants encounter some kind of problems. Also life is often not what we expect. 

With the help from my DL teacher, Lorinda, I have slowly started talking to my clients. Surprisingly, I am actually able to communicate with them very well. Although there are still times when I have to repeat myself, I feel good about answering phone calls these days.

I still need to work on my English skills and learn more about Australian culture, but I'm sure I will soon build up enough confidence to communicate with all my clients. When that happens, I believe I'll find life in Australia more like what I expected.

Thank you Elizabeth for sharing your feelings and how your DL lessons helped you build up your confidence and overcome your disappointments. Life is often different to what we expect and when things turn out differently it's natural to feel disappointed. 

• What is something you expected which led to a disappointment? What did you do to overcome this disappointment?
• What was a positive thing that resulted from this situation? 
• Talking on the phone is tricky. What tips can you give for communicating on the phone?

A tale of love powering creativity

DL student Susanti

My name is Susanti and I come from Indonesia. The 17th February 2017 was one of the most auspicious days of my life. This is the day I tied the knot with my husband, Chris. I met Chris five years ago while we were both working in Jakarta. It was our love that started my romance with this beautiful country, Australia, and brought me to the peaceful city of Brisbane.

My dream was to make my own wedding dress so I could wear something special that I made with my own hands. I wanted my dress to be unique and one day, if I have a daughter, pass it down to her so she can be proud of her mother.

I believe I inherited my crochet skills from my mother but I had never done a crochet dress before. I had my fair share of doubts before starting work on my wedding dress. Could I finish it on time? Would it be good enough?  It was also a challenge to keep it a secret from Chris as I wanted to give him a nice surprise.

I started working on my wedding dress in mid-November 2016 and finally completed it on my wedding day with some final touches. I love roses so I used white cotton yarn to crochet about a hundred roses for my dress. I lined it with navy blue and added lavender flowers. I spent innumerable happy hours creating something new.

My DL teacher, Sonia, was one of the few people with whom I shared the progress of my dress every week. She inspired me to keep a visual record of how the dress was gradually taking shape. On my wedding day, Chris and the guests were pleasantly surprised which made me proud of all my efforts.

I feel I began a new chapter of my life with a new belief in myself.  I believe that if you have confidence in yourself and try hard to achieve your dreams you can achieve anything that you set your heart upon.  And no matter what lies in the road ahead, staying positive and having patience and faith will get you there.

Congratulations Susanti on your wedding and on this handmade masterpiece. We wish you well in your new life. Thanks for sharing your wonderful, happy story.

• What is something you made that required skill and effort that you were proud of?
• Are we all creative? What empowers your creativity?
• What skills would you like to learn or like to have learnt? Why?

Kris celebrates a special mother

Kris, DL Student

Last Sunday, 14th May, we celebrated Mother's Day in Australia. Like many of us, DL student Kris had the opportunity to honour her mother and remember the important role she played in her life, as she tells us her story.

Hi, I am Kris. I come from the Philippines and I'm the youngest of four siblings. Growing up, my life was simple. We were raised by a single mother who tried hard to make ends meet.

When I was a student, I remember experiencing many challenges: illness, loss of a loved one and other setbacks due to our tight financial situation.  But I never gave up.

After I finished my Bachelor degree in Economics in 2012, I had my first job as a Bank Teller. I was then able to help my mum who made so many sacrifices for us and also help other members of my family.

I am so proud of my mum who was able to send us all to school. One of my brothers is now a doctor, the other one is an agriculturist and my sister is a nurse. Nothing is impossible if your family works as a team. No matter how tough things get, you will be able to achieve your goals.

I moved to Australia in March 2015 and I got married to the man that I love. A few months later I had a job as a Personal Care Worker in a nursing home which I really enjoy. Now, I am a mother of a healthy and happy 8-month-old baby boy.

My dream is to get a degree in Pharmacy after I become a permanent resident. I am glad that my DL teacher Maha is helping me and sharing her knowledge and experience with me.

Thank you Kris for sharing your inspirational story with us and we wish you all the best for your family and career. We also wish all the DL mothers happiness and success. 

• What role does the mother play in the family?
• Has the role of mothers changed over the years? Why/why not?
• What challenges do modern day mothers face?

Nancy volunteers to help her community

DL Teacher Nancy

This week we celebrate National Volunteer Week to acknowledge the generous contributions of those who give up their time and effort to help others.

Nancy is one of our DL teachers who finds great pleasure not only in teaching English but also in volunteering to help her community with her English skills.

Going back 30 years, Nancy remembers how difficult it was for her to settle in Australia as an adult migrant. Even though she was an English lecturer in a university in China, it was still hard to find a job here. Nancy had to go back to full-time study and after completing her Diploma in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), she landed her first job as a teacher on the AMEP program.

Twenty years later Nancy is still doing what she loves best, teaching English in the same program. Most of her students are from a Chinese background with low level English. She is passionate about helping elderly Chinese students in particular as she understands how challenging it is for them to settle in a new country. She makes learning English easy for them and takes pride in their progress.

Nancy did not go out looking for volunteer work but because of her English skills, her friendly personality and her passion to help people, volunteering seemed to find her.

It all started when Nancy joined a Tai Chi class in her community where the local council organises free classes for the increasing Chinese population in the Northern Sydney area.

Being the helpful person that she is, she was always happy to translate and interpret small messages between the organisers and the Chinese people in her classes. This led to Nancy playing a key volunteer role liaising between council staff and the Chinese community.  She uses her time and bilingual skills to help the council communicate class timetables, venues, enrolments and housekeeping instructions to the Chinese community and she translates letters and flyers.

Through these community classes Nancy not only learnt Tai Chi, enjoyed her sketching classes and made friends, but she also had the the chance to give back . She says "Volunteering makes me feel good about helping others".

Research shows that volunteers live happier and healthier lives.  No wonder the motto for National Volunteer Week is "Give Happy, Live Happy". 

• Have you ever volunteered? What did you do?
• What are the benefits of volunteering for new migrants in Australia?
• What kind of volunteer work is available and how can you find it in your area?  Check out this website: Volunteering Australia

Why not share your volunteering experience here and inspire other students!