A new job in Colombo

A new job in Colombo is an original B1 short story of about 650 words. Nimal leaves his village to start his first office job in the city, and he tells us about his first month. As you read, you will practise the present perfect and the past simple, and see how the two tenses work together.

Part 1: Leaving the village

My name is Nimal, and I’m twenty-two. I grew up in a small village near Embilipitiya, where my parents grow rice and bananas. Last year, I finished my degree in accounting, and in March I got my first office job, at an insurance company in Colombo.

On the day I left, my mother packed a bag of food for me: rice, curry and a big bottle of her lime pickle. My father didn’t say much. At the bus stop, he shook my hand and said, “Work hard, and don’t forget where you come from.” Then the bus pulled away, and I watched the paddy fields disappear behind me.

Part 2: A difficult first week

I have now lived in Colombo for exactly one month, and a lot has changed. I have rented a room in a shared house in Dehiwala. Two other young men from the provinces live there too. I have learnt to take the train to Fort every morning, and I have discovered that the trains are always full at eight o’clock.

My housemates, Arun and Roshan, come from Jaffna and Badulla. On my first evening, they showed me how to buy a train ticket and where to find cheap rice and curry late at night.

My first week was hard. On Monday, I arrived at the office forty minutes early because I was afraid of being late. The building had twelve floors, and in the lift I pressed the wrong button and went all the way to the top. A security guard laughed kindly and showed me the way.

My manager, Mrs Fernando, introduced me to the team. Everyone spoke quickly, and they used words I didn’t know, like “deadline”, “spreadsheet” and “follow up”. At lunchtime, I sat alone and ate my mother’s rice and curry. I felt very far from home.

Part 3: Things get better

Since then, things have slowly got better. I have made two good friends at work, Ruwan and Dilini. They have shown me the best place for kottu near the office, and Dilini has helped me with the computer system.

I have made mistakes too, of course. In my second week, I sent an important email to the wrong customer. I was sure Mrs Fernando was going to be angry, but she just smiled and said, “Everyone does that once. Now you know.” Since that day, I have checked every email twice before I press send. Last Friday, I gave my first presentation to the team. My hands shook, but afterwards Mrs Fernando said, “Well done, Nimal. That was very clear.”

I have changed in small ways too. I have bought two new shirts and a pair of black shoes. I have started drinking coffee in the mornings instead of tea, which my mother will not believe. I haven’t learnt to cook yet, so I still eat a lot of bread and dhal.

Part 4: A phone call home

Of course, there are things I miss. In the village, I woke up to the sound of birds. Here, I wake up to buses and car horns. I miss my mother’s cooking, my father’s quiet jokes and the smell of the fields after the rain. I have phoned home every Sunday since I arrived, and my mother always asks the same question: “Have you eaten properly?”

Last night, I called her again. “I’ve finished my first month,” I told her. “And I’ve received my first salary.”

“And what have you done with it?” she asked.

“I’ve sent half of it to you,” I said. “Please buy something nice for yourself and for Father.”

She was quiet for a moment. Then she said, “Your father is smiling. He hasn’t smiled like that for a long time.”

Colombo is still big, noisy and sometimes confusing. But I have started to feel that I can belong here too. And next week, for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, I’m going home.

Language focus: present perfect and past simple

Nimal tells his story one month after he arrived, so he uses two tenses. He uses the present perfect for things that connect the past with now, and the past simple for finished events at a stated time in the past. Our lessons on the present perfect tense and the simple past tense explain each one in detail.

When does Nimal use the present perfect?

When does Nimal use the past simple?

On his first day, Mrs Fernando introduces Nimal to the team. If you are starting a new job yourself, our lesson on introducing yourself in English gives you the phrases you need. For more graded texts at this level, try the British Council LearnEnglish B1 reading lessons.

Reading quiz: check your understanding

The quiz shows the story again, so you can look back at it. Answer the questions, then write a short email about a new start of your own and compare it with the model answer.

Ready for a challenge? Read The last train, a B2 story about two friends who miss the last train from Ella.