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?

Kim never gave up!

Kim, Navitas, Sydney City

Kim started his Distance Learning course two years ago.  He chose DL because he works full-time and DL allows him flexibility with his time schedule.

To Kim, he has come a long way as far as his English is concerned.  Kim never did any English courses before starting with AMEP DL. He learned to speak English only through talking to his customers at work.  So when he started the course his speaking was fairly functional but his objective was clear: to learn to read and write in English.

Nearly 6 months ago, Kim completed his Certificate of Spoken and Written English (CSWE) 1 and moved up to level 2.  He is now able to read texts with around 300 words from Your Call level 2. “I am thrilled by what I have achieved with my reading and writing” Kim says.

Kim is dedicated to his learning even though the whole journey has not been easy.  “I could have given up a number of times” Kim comments.

Kim and his wife migrated to Australia in 2013 and they both are working long hours. Kim is working in a restaurant as a chef and, sometimes by the time he gets back home, he is exhausted to do anything.  Incredibly, he always overcomes barriers and gets himself ready 15 minutes before his lessons to do his spelling routine which has continued for the past two years throughout his DL course. Kim agrees that the individualised lessons and the extensive support definitely have pushed his boundary.

As Kim’s course is coming to an end, he acknowledges that where he completes the course is where he starts building his Australian dream with a strong sense of being confident and competent.  His DL teacher, Michelle, cannot be happier to see that this program has helped Kim achieve his goals.

Congratulations to Kim and well done for working hard and staying focussed on your goals.  

• What barriers are there to learning English and how can you overcome them?
• What routines can help you improve your reading and writing?
• What helps you keep going if you feel you want to give up?

Why not leave your comments below!