Identity in English: How Language Shapes Who You Are
I am a different person in Bengali than I am in English. In Bengali I am the eldest son, formal, respectful, quieter. In English — the English I learned in Sydney on kerbs and in…
Category: English Teaching
Neighbours and Community: Social English in a New Place
My neighbour in Strathfield was a Greek-Australian woman in her seventies. She knocked on my door three days after I arrived with a plate of spanakopita. She said, 'You look thin. Eat.' I didn't know…
Writing to Authorities: Formal English for Official Letters
In Australia and then in France, I wrote dozens of letters to immigration, housing, tax authorities. Every time, the language had to be right — not just grammatically, but in tone. Too casual: dismissed. Too…
Asking for Help: Polite English When You Don’t Understand
For the first two years in Sydney I nodded at things I didn't understand. I was ashamed to ask. I would nod, walk away, and then try to figure it out alone. One day my…
Colours All Around: English for Young Learners New to a Country
My daughter is learning two languages at the same time — French from her mother, English from me, and Créole from the island she was born on. She points at things and we both name…
Culture Shock: Talking About Feelings in a New Country
Nobody warned me about the loneliness. Not the dramatic kind you see in films — the quiet kind. Sitting in a laundromat in Strathfield on a Sunday, watching your clothes go round, and realising there…
Understanding Australian English: Accents and Slang
My English teacher in Dhaka taught me British English. When I landed in Sydney, I heard: 'G'day mate, how ya going?' I understood zero words. Not zero — I understood 'how'. Australians shorten everything. 'Afternoon'…
Making New Friends: How to Start a Conversation
The first friend I made in Sydney — really made, not just a colleague — came from a misunderstanding. I was trying to buy a bus ticket and pressing all the wrong buttons. A young…
Finding a Place to Live: Renting English for New Countries
Finding my first room in Strathfield, Sydney, took me two weeks of reading listings I didn't fully understand. 'Util incl' meant utilities are included — I didn't know that. 'No pets, no smokers' — I…
At the Airport: Survival English for New Arrivals
When I landed in Sydney in 2005, I sat on a kerb outside the terminal for three hours. I had the address of someone I knew but no phone, no idea how to get a…