To me, 2012 is a rather special year. Because now, I have lived half of my life in Indonesia and the other half in Australia. I moved to Melbourne when I was 14. I didn’t speak much English although I went to a school in Jakarta that has a slightly better English language curriculum than your average primary/high school. Okay let me correct that… I could probably speak okay English, but I refused to do so because I had to leap out of my comfort zone. And I liked my comfort zone very much.
Fast forward to 14 years later, I am now an Australian citizen. I can’t imagine living anywhere else (except maybe Japan? Now that’s a thought.) After a trip away from the land down under, I always return home with a smile. Yes, home. Australia is now my home.
And I speak much better English now than I did when I first arrived. Still with an accent, still with a whole lot of grammatical mistakes, but hey, pretty good for a second language I must say.
Opening that can of worms and asking that question…
So what’s with this blog post? Earlier this week I watched an episode of Can of Worms (Mondays 8.30 pm on Ten). I love the concept of the show; I love seeing the most taboo questions being thrown on the table; I love listening to what everyone has to say; I love weighing in the public’s opinions and then throwing in my two cents worth.
Last Monday, one of the topics discussed was: “Do you have to speak English if you want to live in Australia?”
Do I have to?
Yes, Australia is multicultural so you can technically probably just hang with those who speak the same language as you. But you still need to go to school or work where you might not be able to choose your community as much. Also, think about it this way:
Do I have to speak Japanese if I want to live in Japan? (Serious consideration right there.) Do I have to speak Indonesian to live in Indonesia? Do I have to speak Spanish to live in Spain?
I think I do. To a certain extent.
I don’t need to speak as fluently as the locals do, but yes I think I will need to learn to speak the main language in the country I choose to reside in. I mean, imagine not being able to communicate with most people most of the times. Human interaction is a very important aspect of being human!
So, will I encourage everyone who lives in Australia to speak English? Definitely.
And even more so for those who are thinking of living in this country for the long run.
You might get nervous speaking to the local Aussies, you might get laughed at once in a while, you might get the occasional “sorry, can you say that again?” from the locals, and the list goes on. I’ve been through all that. But if you never take that step out of your comfort zone, then you will never know what’s on the other side.
Now, I’ve listed just a few reasons (and debunk certain things) as to why it might be a good idea to learn the English language while you are living in Australia:
- There’s no harm in learning a new language. Especially one that is recognised worldwide.
- You are going to find it much easier to do your every day stuff if you can speak the language.
- You can make new friends and learn more about each other’s culture.
- You don’t have to throw away your own cultural background and customs.
- You don’t have to stop speaking in your own mother tongue.
- You don’t have to dye your hair and pretend you’re “one of the Aussies”.
- You can still be yourself, the awesome multicultural person that you are.
For that very last point, I have this to show you:
That was me posing for the camera on the day I received my Australian citizenship.
Proud to be Australian, posing next to an Australian with an Australian flag behind us, I raised up my certificate…
And with that, I also did the peace sign. Yes, that Japanese kawaii peace sign most Asians love to do. Check this Tumblr page for more!
Nothing embarrassing about that. I was just being me.
You don’t have to change who you are to be an Australian. You don’t have to speak English if you don’t want to. But as the panelists during the Can of Worms concluded, I too reckon you will enjoy Australia much more when you learn to speak English!
I did that. And I am loving it here.
What about you? What’s your view on this? Comment below.
Great thought-provoking post Julie. I think you do have to learn to “assimilate” into whichever country you choose to live in. I know the phrase has negative connotations and has been used as a political missile, but to me it means adopting the values of your new country (could not have used adopted twice in the same sentence [smiley face]), but still retaining your identity. Unless you are a hipster and then it all just blends into one cesspool of mediocrity and vulgarity.
How interesting it was to read your blog and what a refreshing view of the assimilation issue. Thank you for your wisdom and insight. I particularly liked your dot points in summing up. Good-on-ya-mate! :-)