Manager:
Hello. Come in and take a seat.
Manager:
And how can I help you?
Assistant:
Well, I'd quite like to join this international social club, and I was hoping you could help me.
Manager:
Yes, no problem.
Manager:
Let me just get the form up on my screen, and I'll fill in your details.
Manager:
Yes, here we are.
Manager:
Okay, the first thing we need is your name.
Assistant:
That's F-double-O.
Manager:
And can you tell me how old you are, Jenny?
Manager:
And how long have you been here in Australia, by the way?
Assistant:
I arrived just last month, two weeks before the start of the academic year, just to sort things out and settle in a bit.
Manager:
Where are you from originally?
Assistant:
I'm from Kuala Lumpur.
Assistant:
That's where I was born and brought up.
Manager:
So, you're Malaysian, are you?
Assistant:
That's right, though I lived in the United States for a couple of years when I was a teenager.
Assistant:
We went there for my father's job.
Manager:
And can you tell me your current address, please?
Assistant:
Just at the moment, I'm lodging with a family at 13 Anglesey Road in Bondi.
Manager:
Okay, let me just type that in.
Manager:
How do you spell Anglesea, by the way?
Assistant:
It's spelled A-N-G-L-E-S-E-A.
Manager:
That's quite a long way from the city centre, isn't it?
Manager:
Is it a problem getting into the city centre?
Assistant:
Not really, because the buses are good, and it's a nice, quiet area to live in.
Manager:
So, I guess you must have a cell phone number you can give me so we can keep you informed of events and so on?
Assistant:
Let me just have a look.
Assistant:
It's a new one, so I haven't learned the number yet.
Assistant:
Ah, here it is.
Assistant:
It's 040 422 9160.
Manager:
And you like the family you're living with?
Assistant:
They've got a little boy who is quite noisy, but he's really no trouble.
Manager:
Can you tell me what you do?
Manager:
I mean, are you working or studying?
Assistant:
Well, at the moment, I'm doing a temporary job with a company here in Sydney.
Assistant:
I'm an economist, in fact.
Manager:
And how long do you think you'll be here in Sydney?
Assistant:
At least a year.
Assistant:
I may look for work here afterwards.
Manager:
Now, you want to join the International Social Club, and it would be good to know a bit about your free time interests as well.
Manager:
What do you like doing?
Assistant:
Well, I'm quite musical, and I really enjoy singing.
Assistant:
Back home, I sang with a band, just, you know, for fun.
Assistant:
But for me, what I like best is dancing.
Assistant:
You know, the modern sort?
Assistant:
I really love it.
Manager:
So, how are you getting on here?
Manager:
I mean, your level of English is better than most people who come from overseas to work.
Manager:
And you've got a really nice American accent, so I don't suppose you have any communication problems in the office.
Manager:
Though, you might find some of our Australian slang more difficult to understand.
Assistant:
But I haven't met that many Australians yet, outside of work, I mean.
Assistant:
But could you tell me a bit about the International Club, now I've joined?
Manager:
We've got, let's see, currently about 50 members, but people join all the time, so I should think that figure will go up.
Manager:
Last year, we had 30 members, and the year before, just 18.
Manager:
So, we're growing and getting better known.
Manager:
I reckon that at this rate, next year, we'll have about 80.
Assistant:
And does the club hold regular meetings?
Manager:
Yes, every second Thursday evening, in fact.
Manager:
So, a couple of times a month.
Manager:
Though, of course, when you start making friends, you'll be getting together with them more often than that, I guess.
Manager:
The next meeting will be next Thursday, if I'm not mistaken.
Manager:
Yes, that's right.
Assistant:
And what happens when the club meets?
Assistant:
I mean, what sort of things are organised?
Manager:
The usual thing is for one of the members to give a little presentation about where they're from, their customs, and so on.
Manager:
But from time to time, they do other things, outings to places around Sydney, or meeting up to eat together in a restaurant, or go to a concert together, or something like that.
Assistant:
OK, that sounds fun.
Assistant:
And the members aren't just people from other countries?
Assistant:
Non-Australians, are they?
Manager:
The main point of the club is to give people like you the chance to mix in more with people from this country, people of all ages.
Manager:
You'll find us very friendly.
Manager:
I think the contact has a positive effect on visitors to this country.
Manager:
And in fact, it affects us locals positively as well.
Manager:
You know, it's a sort of intercultural experience for everybody.
Manager:
And of course, you should get the chance to do all sorts of activities with other members of the club if you want to.
Manager:
It's not just for talking.
Manager:
And hopefully, you'll make friends with people who have similar interests.
Assistant:
It sounds great.
Assistant:
I'm really looking forward to the first meeting.