The text
My First Job Abroad
This is a work of fiction. The people and events are invented.
My name is Marta. When I was nineteen, I moved from my small town in Poland to Edinburgh, in Scotland. I wanted to improve my English and see a new country. A friend of my cousin worked in a café there, and she helped me to get a job.
The first week was very hard. People spoke fast, and I didn't understand the Scottish accent. One customer asked for “a wee coffee”, and I didn't know what “wee” meant. My manager, Fiona, laughed and said, “It means small!” After that, I wrote new words in a little notebook every day.
I started work at seven in the morning. I made coffee, cleaned tables and took orders. In the afternoon I was usually very tired, but I often walked around the old town before I went home. The streets were beautiful, especially in the evening light.
After two months, things were easier. I knew the names of our regular customers and what they always ordered. An old man called Mr Gray came in every day at ten for tea and toast. He asked me questions about Poland, and I asked him about Scotland. We became good friends.
I stayed in Edinburgh for one year. My English is much better now, but that is not the most important thing. I learned to be brave, to ask questions when I don't understand, and to laugh at my mistakes. I still have my little notebook. The first word in it is “wee”.