When we applied for Permanent Residency (PR) in Australia I had to write an IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test. Oh! Horror of horrors! I promptly informed them via email that I studied in English and worked at a company where I spoke mainly English. “Noooo,” they said, “we’ve heard every excuse in the book. […]

We have all done it, and many of us will continue to do it. We have tried to sell Australia. We say, “Come, it is the best thing you can ever do. Your kids will thank you. You will be a fool if you do not take the opportunity. This is the land of milk and […]

Sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey. We walked into a Maccas (Mac Donalds) in Yanchep (a beautiful small coastal town about 15 minutes’ drive from Clarkson, where my family – the Venter Four – resides). The store manager (if I had to guess I would say he was Filipino) took my order, “What […]

I live in Australia and over the past two weeks I heard and read two unrelated comments, but during the last day or so, they became quite related. The first was a comment directed at myself. I took my son to his sport and drama class and had a conversation with one of the facilitators. […]