Bad English

Language was one of the hardest challenges for me when moving to Canada from Indonesia. English is not an easy language to learn.

Starting off on a rough start

I often got the lowest mark in english class when I was in Indonesia. I remember I got 17 out of 100 on a test in high school. I didn’t understand the language. My friends were concerned about my situation. “Are you really going to Canada? You always failed your english tests.”

I moved to Canada in the fall. I got my first job at a sandwich place with my sister’s reference couple weeks after I moved. I barely spoke english. I didn’t know what a panini or a bagel was. Even worse, I got an ear infection from the Canadian cold weather. It didn’t help my work performance because I couldn’t hear orders I got. I didn’t tell my boss that I was sick because I was too scared and didn’t have confidence in my english. I always made wrong sandwiches.

I was fired a week after.

Thriving

I kept applying for jobs and made time to improve my english on my free time. I was accepted to a bachelor of communication program in information design. Writing an essay was the most challenging assignments for me, but I had classmates and professors that were really supportive. They kept pushing me and believed in me that I could do better. I passed all writing assignments.

As an international student, my tuition was double the price. Getting fired on my first job in Canada didn’t stop me from getting another job. There were couple semesters when I had three jobs on top of my full-time study. Most of my part-time jobs required excellent english to give great customer service. My colleagues and managers at work were very understanding. I would even say that I improved my english the most at work. They taught me what I couldn’t get from my english class or books.

I learned that I don’t have to speak the language of a country I am moving to. Language can be learned. All I need is to believe in myself. I will bring my best performance to my life and be kind to people around me. My english is still not perfect. I still speak with an accent. Language can be a barrier, but it won’t hold me back, and confidence with a positive attitude will bring me to success.

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

– Mark Twain