When Hindi-speaking Madhavlal Chaudhari (48) first came to New Zealand from India, communication was nothing short of terrifying for him.
But thanks to adult literacy classes, Mr Chaudhari has a newfound confidence.
"I can go to the store now and say, 'where is the rice?'."
Mr Chaudhari had a rough start in life. Not long after he was born in rural northwest India, his mother died.
It left him with limited opportunities for formal education, and he was sent out into his father's mustard fields to work for much of his childhood.
Not content to cultivate and harvest mustard plants for the rest of his life, Mr Chaudhari ran away from home to Mumbai in search of "brighter opportunities".
He said his greatest good fortune was to find work as a kitchen hand where, over time, he learned how to cook traditional Indian curries.
His strong dedication and determination eventually led him to become a chef.
While working at the restaurant, he became friends with a chef who had worked as a curry chef in New Zealand, and soon after, he came to Dunedin to see what all the fuss was about for himself.
Not surprisingly, he found himself working as a chef at the Tandoori Palace in Mornington, creating cuisines that put sheens on foreheads.
Mr Chaudhari plans to stay in New Zealand and his employer has encouraged him to further develop his English language skills.
Learning a new language after being immersed in Indian culture for more than 40 years was challenging, he said.
But he has now focused his dedication and determination to succeed on learning to speak, read and write English.
Since April this year, he has been attending weekly conversational classes and, on his day off, he is learning to read and write English with a home tutor from English Language Partners. When he gets a spare moment out of the kitchen, he likes to read magazines and the Otago Daily Times.
Mr Chaudhari is now working with his home tutor to write a book about himself.
The benefits have been pronounced, he said.
"When people came into the restaurant, I used to shy away from them.
But now I can ask customers what they want.
"It has been very good to bring out my confidence."
Mr Chaudhari is one of hundreds of people who learn to speak English as a second language each year, and all will this week celebrate Adult Learners Week.
An awards ceremony will be held on Thursday at 5.30pm in the Technique Restaurant at Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin, and an international dinner will be held tomorrow.
