Interviewer
Interviewee (Heny)
Where do you come from?
Indonesia.
So you native language is also Indonesian?
Yeayeayea.
What language do you use when you are working?
English.
Only English and no Cantonese?
Cantonese to Grandma. She speaks Cantonese.
When do you learn English when you were in Indonesia/ or after coming to Hong Kong?
When I was in Singapore.
How long have you been learning English?
From 2018...No, 2008 haha. Sorry.
Did you learn Cantonese after coming to Hong Kong?
Yea.
Through the agency or other channels?
Yea, agency in Indonesia.
So it provides programmes for you to learn Cantonese. How long have you been learning Cantonese?
3 months only.
Was that an intensive course offered by the agency?
Yea.
Like how many hours for each day training?
In the morning, from 8 to 11. At the afternoon, from 1 until 5. So tired.
So when you speak to you friends, you will also use Indonesian?
Indonesian of course.
But will you code-mix English and Indonesian when you are talking to your friends?
No, i just speak Indonesian with my friends. I speak English only with my employer.
What do you think about your native language?
Is there any difference when you speak Indonesian or English?
For me, speaking Indonesian/ English are the same. It’s okay.
I teach my employers’ daughter how to speak Indonesian sometimes. When we eat rice/ chicken, I teach her.
Do you think being able to speak English and Cantonese can help you finding jobs in Hong Kong?
Yea.
What kind of jobs do you want to engage in other than domestic helper?
In the market.
What languages are taught in your hometown? Like in primary school or secondary school.
Indonesian.
No English?
A little bit English. So little.
Was English taught in primary school or secondary school?
Primary and secondary.
Normally for how long a day?
Once a week. One hour each time.
What languages would you like to teach your future children?
Indonesian.
Would you hope to teach them English at their younger age?
Ohh I don’t know yet. Maybe later. When they grow up.
Why do you hope to teach them English when they are older, not at a younger age?
I am not thinking yet. I don’t know.
Had your parents encouraged you to learn certain language when you are small?
No, only Indonesian. Indonesian and Javanese. I live in Java, so I speak Java. My parents also speak Java.
Is it a kind of dialects? /dominant language in Indonesia?
Actually many languages in Indonesia, many places. We speak differently but we understand.
Do you native language bring any benefits to you? Like something that is good and useful to you.
I can meet with my friends. My employers are good to me. I’m happy here.
How do you feel about Hong Kong? Do you like Hong Kong?
Yea of course I like Hong Kong than Singapore. Because I cannot meet my friends in Singapore, no holiday. I feel happy In Hong Kong.
Will you feel like an outsider in Hong Kong because of the different language you speak?
No, because I only speak English.
Do you want some language programme offered by the Hong Kong government? Like any language course?