A miracle named “Kiwi”

Yes, I’m an ELTO student in Intake 29. Like others, I was chosen to participate in the programme after passing some compulsory requirements (IELTS score, CV, health check…). Unlike others, I was not alone in coming here. - I was with my husband – another ELTO student. Both of us are working for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in different departments, and both of us were chosen to be participants of ELTO programme. Maybe, this is the first time for the programme to have a married couple as participants. Let’s imagine that you are going to be apart from your partner for quite a long while (six months), then you’ll see how lucky we are.

 

Thanks to the excellent arrangement of the programme’s coordinators in Wellington and Napier, we had beautiful days in New Zealand. I recognized the professional preparation of ELTO managers even before we left Vietnam. Hilary Watson, our dear manager in Wellington, sent many “pre-course” emails to us. I was very surprised because these emails were so detailed. We were requested to give information about our vision for free providing glasses (if any) in order to make sure that we can join the course successfully, or every ELTO student can borrow a laptop and a mobile phone during the studying time in New Zealand and so on. I didn’t expect that ELTO students would be provided such great support from the New Zealand government besides scholarships. Our living circumstances in Napier with a homestay family and in Wellington were very good. In our intake, each two ELTOs (same sex) share a modern and comfortable apartment with all necessary equipment. Luckily, my husband and I are allowed to stay together in an apartment even we are not the same sex. J

 

Having no worries about accommodation, we are able to focus on English study at school. Some of us even did something more than that. By chance, we – a lucky married couple – did a miraculous thing, which promotes me to a higher position called “mother-to-be”. At the moment of writing this article, I’m 3,5 months pregnant. My baby has been growing up day by day in my body nourished by New Zealand food and air. I will give her/him a nickname “Kiwi” with a hope that she/he will be kind, friendly and filled with compassion like some Kiwi people I have met. For me, there is no doubt that “Kiwi” will always be a special word. It will remind me of the Kiwi bird’s country, which has provided me with not only an excellent opportunity to study English with Kiwi teachers, but also Kiwi friends and a big happiness called “Kiwi baby”.