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!

Bingbing passes the test

https://www.ielts.org/

My name is Bingbing and I come from China. I have been studying English through AMEP Distance Learning with my teacher Daniel since January 2016. I chose DL because it allows me to study at home while looking after my one year old child.

My goal is to go to university to pursue a Bachelor of Nursing and become a registered nurse. To be accepted into this course I need to sit the English test, IELTS (International English Language Testing System) and achieve a score of 6 for each module: listening, reading, writing and speaking, and an overall score of 6.5.

I needed extra help with speaking and writing in particular. I knew these skills were my weaknesses and I couldn't imagine myself getting a score of 6 studying on my own.

My teacher Daniel (Navitas Parramatta college), focussed his lessons to help me prepare for the IELTS test. After 6 months of preparation, I made my first attempt and I was excited about the results. I achieved the required scores and more: Listening 7.5, Reading 7.5, Writing 7, Speaking 6, and overall a score of 7. I was particularly amazed by my writing score and so happy that my hard work paid off. Daniel was very proud of me too.

I think the key to success in achieving any goal, not just IELTS, is to have the right guidance and then work hard persistently towards your dream. I know it is easier said than done. I still recall times when I felt frustrated because I failed to brainstorm any ideas for a topic and thought to give up. Fortunately, it was just a thought. If you want to achieve something, don't expect fast or easy results, but practise everyday and trust the process knowing that you will improve gradually.

Choosing Distance Learning was one of the best decisions I've ever made. What I learnt from teacher Daniel was more than the knowledge and skills necessary for achieving my academic goals. His constant encouragement and acknowledgment of my progress kept me positive, patient and confident in my endeavours.

It's interesting to note that following the writing of her story, Bingbing changed her mind about her course of study.  Inspired by Teacher Daniel she is now doing a postgraduate qualification in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) to become an English teacher helping migrants in the same way she was helped. From all of us in DL, we wish Bingbing a bright career teaching English.

• What are you short and long-term goals? What are the steps to achieve them?
• What makes us sometimes change our goals along the way?
• What advice would you give someone who needs direction, motivation or confidence in achieving their goal?

We'd love to hear your comments below.

ANZAC Day celebrated on 25th April

On 25 April, Australians will commemorate Anzac Day. Anzac Day is the day we remember those who died in all wars. ‘Anzac’ stands for ‘Australian and New Zealand Army Corps’.

When World War I broke out in 1914, Australia had only been a federation for 13 years, with a population of fewer than 5 million people. It was very much part of the British Empire, and so when Britain entered the war, Australia automatically joined as well.

On 25 April 1915, Australian and New Zealand forces landed on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. The idea was to capture Gallipoli and from there, to take over Constantinople, which was the capital of Turkey at the time.

The Australian and New Zealand soldiers met very strong resistance from the Turkish soldiers and both sides suffered terrible casualties. More than 8,000 Australian soldiers died during this 8 month campaign and it had a profound effect on Australians back home.

As Australia was a young country with a small population, this loss of life became a defining point in its history, and from it, the Anzac legend of courage, mateship and sacrifice grew.

The first anniversary was held in 1916, and every year since then, Australians not only remember the lives lost at Gallipoli, but all those who have died in war.

A dawn service has been held every year since 1927. Initially this was a very simple ceremony involving veterans of the war to gather, remember and reflect on their experiences. Today, as all the veterans of World War 1 have passed away, the dawn service not only includes the family members of these veterans, but anybody else who wants to gather and pay their respects and reflect on the meaning of war.

It is a solemn and very moving occasion, as one of our DL students, Thi Son Ha, who attended a dawn service, wrote in a beautiful passage:

A MOMENT OF ANZAC DAY AT LAKE CARGELLIGO

In the wind, the voice from another world whispered "We remember you ....remember you ...remember you ....". Wind then stopped, sunshine didn’t move. Everyone looked beyond the other side of the lake, such as they tried to find some souls who came back in the cloud, in the sky or the water of the lake....The wave of the water on the bank of the lake could be counted as the beats of the hearts. A moment for all of you who sacrificed your life for the peace of this country as well as the world. "We remember you, remember you ....!" 

• Australians often use the word ‘mate’. How was 'mateship’ shown during the war?
• Do you have a similar celebration in your country? What happens on the day?
• What do you think is the best way to remember those who died in war?

Charina, the professional job-hunter

DL student, Charina

My name is Charina and I come from the Philippines.  I came to Australia with my two daughters about 3 years ago to join my husband who came here 3 years before us. We could have joined him earlier, but I was a bit hesitant as I had a great job back home. I had to put my family first however, and couldn't deprive my daughters from being with their father.

After settling down in Roma in Queensland I decided to enrol in an English course. So I started learning English at TAFE. Unfortunately the classes were mixed levels and my daughter didn't cope well with her new childcare, so I decided to join the Distance Learning program.

DL suited me so well as I started feeling more confident socialising and mingling with the community. I studied the Work theme with my teacher who helped me update my resume. Then I started applying for different jobs. Soon I changed into a professional job-hunter and attended one interview after another near and far. With every interview, I gained more confidence and applied for more jobs.

I finally found a job as a Room Attendant in a local hotel. Do you think I stopped there! No way! I continued my job hunt.

Last December I found a job in aviation and thought I was getting closer to my dream job. The employer arranged a training course for me, so I went to Brisbane for training. As soon as I returned home however, I found out that my husband, who is the main breadwinner in the family, got a new job in Chinchilla which is 2 hours away from Roma.

My next job was to organise the move to Chinchilla, find a new place to live and new schools within 2 weeks.  That of course meant that my new job was gone as I couldn't possibly commute 4 hours a day to work at Roma airport.

This is very challenging; nevertheless, I'm not the type of person who gives up easily. I am finishing my DL classes soon but I've got enough confidence to look for another job closer to home.  Please keep your fingers crossed for me.

Great determination Charina! We will keep our fingers crossed for you and wish you all the best in your job hunt.

Balancing family and work responsibilities can be difficult.

• What sacrifices do people make for the family? Do you have examples from your personal experience?
• How can mothers balance work and family responsibilities?
• Do you think mothers or fathers should stay home with their children?  Why/why not?

 We would like to read your comments below.