“You can learn from zero, it’s amazing how you can adapt. For example I didn’t know how to cook when I was living in Indonesia (my mum’s food was too delicious and the street food was always fresh), but since coming to Australia and having to cook for a husband and child, I had to learn. Now, I can cook traditional Indonesian food for up to 150 people at special events”.
I came to Australia in November 2011 from Indonesia. When I arrived I could speak English, but I wasn’t very confident. Since living in Australia for the last 10 years, my confidence in speaking English has grown. In 2012, I gave birth to my daughter, and I was a full-time mum, looking after my husband and child.
On Sundays and during the week, I do volunteer work looking after small groups of children, and I teach them how to read, write and pray in Arabic. I was very interested in learning how I could assist them to learn Arabic, so I enrolled in a Certificate III in Education Support at the Yarraville Community Centre. I have decided that working as an Education Support Worker is something I would love to do. I am very keen to learn new skills and work with children to help them learn.
When I first came to Australia, I didn’t really like it very much because everything was so different. My husband encouraged me to get my driver’s licence, and since then I haven’t looked back. It’s great to have the freedom to move around and do things when you want. Sometimes, when I pick up my daughter from school, I pick up other children whose parents don’t have a car – I do this because I want to support other people, it’s how I was raised.
One thing I really like about Australia is that people value education. I have attended classes in the past, and there are people much older than me in the class. It’s great, there are no social barriers to continue learning.
When I finish my course, I want to work as an Education Support Worker. I also want to continue my volunteer work with the kids at the mosque. In this country, there are opportunities to learn.
