Study in Australia will Improve Your English?

If you think that study in foreign english-country will improve your english, you should consider again your decision to study overseas. For example in Melbourne, Australia. This nation notes english as official languange which is used in every part of people life. For example in commerce, academic environment (university), trade, public transport and the others. Basically this will encourage every person who life in Melbourne to use english. Unfortunately, in some occassions I realize that become student here would not guarantee your ability to speak, listen and write english well than before in your native country.

The reason is some students only use limited english. I assume that they speak english only in class (university), shopping centres (when they buy somethig), public transport (in train station or bus stop) or other common areas in society. On the other side, they spend almost their time (daily or weekly) in their own native-spoken community. For instance Indonesian community, Malaysian community, Turksh communities and Vietnamese communities.

According to Indonesian Consulate in Melbourne, about 20,000 Indonesian citizens live in Victoria, and around 9000 of whom are students. Most of them live in the same places (like suburb) in some major spot like Clayton, Footscray, Broadmedows and Brunswick. Additionally, they share in the same house or live in the Indonesian neighbourhood. Then, many Indonesian students study in the same University like University of Melbourne and Monash University, and sometimes they become classmate. In their daily and weekly activities, they meet each other and speak Bahasa. This community also help each other and tightened by nationality emotion. It gives benefits for students who live far away from Indonesia.

However for the long term their skills of english will not be improved. They create the limitation of their relationship with other students from different countries, specially with local students (Australia). I realize that this behaviour is difficult to change since Indonesian students are more comfort to make interaction within their own. The different of culture and languange separates Indonesian students with others.

I presume that their english are not be better as they back home soon.