Learning a second language as an adult

Ella Kurz is a third generation Australian.  Her German/Austrian heritage feels like a special part of what makes her Australian.  Her partner and father of her children is a first generation Australian.  Ella feels that both of these parts of her life continue her – and, more broadly, Australia’s – story of migration.  

Growing up speaking only one language, Ella considered bilingual people to be somewhat magical.  As a young adult, Ella was convinced that speaking more than one language was a magical power she would like to harness for herself.  This poem reflects her experience of immersion-based language learning.