From the memoir of an ex-AMEP student

I was in my early twenties when I first came to live in Australia, now many years ago.  But I will never forget the awkwardness I always felt because of my broken English.  Not understanding what people said, wrongly answering questions, asking for repetition and feeling stupid because I still couldn't get it, laughing at jokes I didn't understand ... these were all embarrassing experiences.

I vividly remember many situations where I felt really awkward.  For example when I rang up to apply for a job and they asked me for my "phone number" to call me back.  All I could hear was "file number" which I insisted I didn't have!  Well, that was one job I wasn't meant to get!

On another occasion I was invited by an Australian family for "tea" around 6 pm at their home.  This is usually the time we have a cup of tea after dinner in the country I come from.  So I had dinner before I went to see them to find that they had a dinner meal prepared.  I was too embarrassed to tell them I'd already eaten so I pushed down my second dinner in order to be polite and let my stomach suffer for it.  I knew the hard way that 'tea' meant 'dinner' not a 'cup of tea' and that 6 pm is when people have their big meal in Australia.

Looking back, these were awkward moments at the time but I can laugh at them now.  You will too!

• Have you had an embarrassing situation because of your English?
• What is the hardest thing to understand?
• What do you do when you don't quite understand and how does this make you feel?
• Do you agree that laughing at yourself is a good way to deal with embarrassment?
• Are there any idioms or expressions that you learnt the hard way? 

Please share your thoughts here.

Courage to speak in public with Toastmasters

Katia, DL student

When I started my Distance Learning English course with Navitas I was feeling depressed. My English was not improving as I would have liked. So I did not believe in myself to look for a job. In my first lesson my DL teacher Barbara encouraged me to join a Toastmasters Club. Toastmasters is an educational organisation which helps members improve their public speaking and leadership skills. In the beginning I struggled to have the courage to go. After the next lesson with my teacher I decided to go and it was amazing.

On my first day as a visitor I lacked confidence and felt nervous. I couldn't say any sentence that made sense. However the members were very supportive and encouraged me to keep going. I trusted them because I felt they believed in me and welcomed me to their meetings.

After the third meeting I felt confident to do my first speech which is called an Ice Breaker. The goal of this speech is to introduce yourself to the members giving them information about your background, interests and ambitions.

I stood in front of an audience of 17 people. People who were just like me, who come to Toastmasters to improve themselves. Then I realized that other people also speak with different accents and make grammar mistakes, but they come to Toastmasters because there's an opportunity to speak to people and make friends.I feel proud of myself for starting something new which is helping me to be not just a positive, confident speaker but an assertive and self-assured person.

Congratulations Katia for starting something new to help yourself.You can find details of your local Toastmasters club at http://www.d70toastmasters.org.au/
Do you belong to a club or organisation? 
How has joining a club helped you to improve your English?