I was born in Thailand. I lived in a refugee camp for 17 years. When I was 13 years old, I worked all day outside of the camp, then I would come back to the refugee camp and study every night. In 2016, my family and I came to Australia.
We didn’t speak any English when we arrived. It was very difficult to learn. I first heard about the Western Bulldogs through Victoria University. The Bulldogs Community Foundation came to my school and taught us how to play sport in a program called Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Play.
I was very interested in football because I had never seen it in my country. I did the CALD Play program four times. It helped me get experience and learn new skills. I met new people and made new friends which helped me get confident to speak English.
Without the CALD Play program I would not be so confident in my English. It was very hard to learn but I am getting better at understanding every day.
After I finish studying English, I would like to study community development so I can give back to the community. I want to help people like me who don’t understand English yet. Help them do things like go to the doctors and use public transport.
If I didn’t have the Bulldogs’ programs, I wouldn’t know what to do. It has helped me settle into the country I now call home.
A series providing a voice to real humans that might otherwise go unheard, thanks to the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation.
