Valerie D. Torok: Published Author
Coming to a new country with little or no understanding of the local language is a tough challenge for any foreign individual. Valeria D. Torok arrived in the UK from Hungary in 2012 and needed to improve her English language skills, and this is where Brooklands College came into play.
Valeria was working as a carer in Spelthorne and, after picking up one of our flyers at Ashford Library, she discovered the ESOL course at Brooklands College.
My #BCexperience
“I enjoyed the English language course, learning the language and meeting people with various backgrounds. Sue was a great teacher and I received lots of support and motivation that made it easier to learn. It was useful to learn colloquial English, lots of words and expressions for everyday life, not just the grammar, and in an interactive method that made it a lot easier for me to learn,” she explains.
Work & Life
Valeria studied with us in her spare time whilst still working. Following on from this, she became a dental nurse and then restarted her career as a massage therapist. Valeria also enjoys some hobbies including arts & crafts and, most notably, writing books! She has proudly written her first children’s book titled ‘Mouse Tales’ which is now published and available to purchase from bookstores and online.
“Mouse Tales” are the stories of two young mice, Sniffy and Yummy, who are regularly told by their mum to stop playing computer games and go outside. During their adventures in the garden and in the meadows they meet other mice, find new friends, learn interesting and funny things and acquire new skills. The ideas mostly came from memories from my own childhood and my children’s childhood. I wanted to write stories that are educational but also funny and my idea was that parents would read the stories for their children and discuss them, learn from them and have a laugh together.”
My Future
Valeria is now working on the second volume of Mouse Tales and is grateful to have learnt English at a good level to be able to have achieved this dream. When asked if she would recommend Brooklands College, she comments “ I certainly would, I not only have good memories but I can say I have benefited from my studies at Brooklands College. I think it’s a great local institution and I would highly recommend its courses to young and not so young adults.”
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