Patricia Rolden

Patricia Rolden first came to New Zealand from Columbia for business. As marketing manager for a Spanish company, she wanted to find out if there was demand in New Zealand for her products.

Unfortunately her research indicated there wasn’t - but it certainly wasn’t a wasted journey. Accompanied by her eight-year-old daughter Maria, the pair instantly fell in love with the place. “New Zealand is very safe and this is the most important thing. It’s not like Colombia… Also New Zealand is beautiful and the people are really nice.”

So they decided to move here – starting first with a New Zealand education.

Now, as Maria heads off to primary school each morning Patricia and her husband also head for the classroom at the AIS St Helens English Language Centre. “I heard about this institute from some other Colombian people. They told me it was very good, and now I know that for myself. The teachers are knowledgeable; they are nice people and do everything they can to help you understand. In fact, all the staff are nice. They’re efficient and smile all the time. They make you feel like it’s your home.

“Students from many different countries study here so you learn a lot about different cultures. In addition, the institute has good facilities and uses advanced technology to help students learn.”

In the short time that Patricia has been studying at AIS St Helens, she says her English has improved greatly. “My husband and I will really try to learn English; we’ll probably study for another five months or so. After that, if our English is good enough we want to start a business here. We’ll either open a Spanish restaurant or import lingerie. If our English is not good enough by then, if it’s very difficult, we’ll move to a Spanish speaking country instead and go into business there.”