Hi, my name is Wendy Hwang.
I am from Korea and have been here for 2 years:)
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This blog site has been created for a class of ESL students completing their VCE studies at Cheltenham Secondary College. Our purpose is to develop practical skills in online communication, and to discuss the context 'Leaving Home: Identity and Belonging'. Throughout this year we have been writing and reading stories of leaving home and adjusting to new environments. We invite commentary from all interested parties, especially other students.
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hello wendy ,i am greta~
ReplyDelete2 years..
ReplyDeletesuch unbelievable English level..
amazing girl....
I'm always wondering how long would it take for me to achieve that goal.
By Ying^
Your English so impeccable.
ReplyDeleteA “wild goose” family
ReplyDeleteWendy Hwang 11E
Nowadays, in Korea, it is a new trend for university students to study overseas and see and feel different cultures and learn different languages. It even feels like compulsory for them to do so. One of the destinations the students choose the most often is Australia where western and eastern culture meet. Due to globalisation, English has become one of the essential skills to survive and stay in the “market”. Every industry requires English from its employees. Even Korean language experts need to go abroad to study. I personally don’t understand what they need to learn from overseas to research about the history of Korea but sadly that is what is happening currently.
It is not very hard to guess what is happening with younger students with tertiary students going overseas. Even though there still are people who don’t believe in learning a second language when very young, most of the babies are to watch English animations, cartoons, shows, listen to English audio books as well as reading the books. Primary students live overseas at least for a year and it is starting to be considered natural. For secondary school students, English is just a nightmare. They have to study for TOEFL, TOEIC or IELTS to be accepted to a good high school or university as well as studying for the entrance exam. With this much strong emphasis on English, it is true that the value of Korean in students minds has decreased. However, what more do you expect when even Korean literature students go abroad to do further studies?
My family is called a “wild goose” family in Korean. It refers to the family who is living overseas with usually the father staying back in Korea earning money to support the rest of the family. The number of this type of family is increasing with more and more eager people to learn English. Yes, my family is one of them but that is not the reason I interviewed my Mum. I consider my Mum to be the person with the most interesting experiences as she has experienced being both a parent of international students and a migrant. Furthermore, by doing the interview and asking her the questions that I don’t normally get to ask I became not only be able to inform other people about different experiences people go through in different times and situations but also to understand my own mother.
To give brief background information, my family first came to Melbourne in 2003 and lived in Carnegie, the same suburb as we live in now, for a year. Also, my dad satisfied the criteria for a permanent residential visa so he tried out for it and fortunately he was given it in one go. At that time we had never planned to come back to Australia. It was just so that my brother and I could have an option later for coming over for a short period of time because according to my parents “you never know what can or will happen” and that “keeping options open” has changed my life. I decided to come back and I lived without my family for 3 or 4 months until my mum and my brother came in year 2008. Personally, I am not sure if I am a migrant because although I hold a permanent residential visa, my whole family is not here and we still have everything back in Korea. Moreover, my parents never want to move to Australia permanently as they don’t want to give up their life in Korea and neither do I. This confusion, I thought, was very useful for this interview since due to our situation, we get to mix with all different types of people. For example, we have friends from back in 2003, friends who are parents of international students, migrants, locals and so forth.
Before I interviewed my Mum, I honestly didn’t know what to ask her because I thought I already knew all the answers to the questions like “what made you come to Australia?” or “what do you find the most difficult?”, the most basic questions one can think of. However, surprisingly, the answers she gave me were never the way I expected them to be. Some were just a little bit different and some were completely opposite to what I had thought. For example, because she always went on about how she had to give up her job and had to leave all her sisters and friends behind, I thought she didn’t like Australia much so I was expecting a big “No” for the question “Do you think you are better off here?.” However, her answer was “yes, because we can meet more people here, can come in contact with different wide variety of cultures and can have a wider view of the world.” Whether that’s what she truly feels or not, I don’t know but it was good to know that my Mum also enjoys being here because I had always felt guilty that I have ruined her life.
ReplyDeleteThe first question I asked my Mum was “what made you come to Australia?” Although I knew the answer, I wanted to start with basic questions and build up to more private ones. Her answer to that question was that she came here to help her children (us) have bigger dreams in a bigger world with many different cultures and people and also with the wish that they (we) become able to experience a lot of different things. Then, I asked her what she finds the most difficult. Her answer was “I guess of course that would be the cultural and language difference.”
Next, we moved onto more sentimental questions such as “when do you miss Korea the most?” She said that she misses Korea the most when she can’t communicate freely, when she can’t understand “Aussie” culture well and when she is lonely and depressed. The times she misses Korea the most were almost the same as mine. Whenever I feel lonely and depressed, I become upset and wonder what I’m exactly doing here. I know that I came here to improve my English skills but sometimes I wonder if it’s worth being feeling so isolated and gloomy. I guess my Mum also asks herself the same question, “what am I doing here?” After all, she had her career, friends, family, and memories and, most importantly, she had left her husband behind back in Korea for us. So then I asked her if she would choose Australia again if she could turn back the time. I thought she would say “yes” because she said “yes” for the question “do you think you are better off in Australia?” However, her answer was a “no” because she would have liked to pursue her job as a lecturer teaching students.
I started to become confused. She said she was better off in Australia but wouldn’t want to choose Australia again so I asked her if she want us to live in Australia. Well, her answer was exactly what I expected. She said that it does not matter as long as it’s what we truly want, but if we would like to consider it again, she would like us to graduate university in Korea and live there where we have our family and friends.
The next question I asked her was “what new experiences have you had in Australia? Did you enjoy all of them?” My Mum’s answer was that Australia has changed her lifestyle and the way she looks at things. For example, now she lives more practical and down to earth life and only focuses on the reasons why she is here.
Finally, the last question was “what piece of advice do you want to give to future migrants?” The advice she wanted to give was that they should think about it very carefully and should consider every possible situation that can happen. Also, it is not as easy as it seems and is definitely not a subject to be decided quickly. With the amount of effort, time and cost people would need to put into, she was sure they are able to achieve better results in their own country.
ReplyDeleteThat advice was actually what I wrote down for Ying’s interview. Maybe it’s because my Mum and I have gone through similar experiences that we hold the same view on migration. This interview gave me a chance to put myself into my Mum’s shoes and imagine even for a minute what it feels like to be a Mum trying to raise two teenagers in a foreign country where she can’t speak and listen. My selfishness had blinded me from seeing my Mum’s tears and pain. Although I cannot let my Mum go back to Korea, I will try hard to pay off her efforts, time and life by finding my passion and becoming a person who has a clear goal she wants to achieve in her lifetime.