6. Joni, Faculty of Science
Free-form reflection

My history of studying English started at the third grade of primary school. I was at the age of nine, and at the time I really felt beeing too young for some other language than Finnish. Learning was quite hard for me, and from my skils I propably was little less than average of my class. In those days there were three levels, “low, medium and high”, in the upper level of comprehensive school (7 - 9 grades) in studying English. My choise was the medium level after consulting my English teacher at the sixth grade. I always remember the teacher’s words for us who were not going to be at the high level. She said; if you are not feeling like you should not be in this level or you could manage in the upper level too, you can motive yourself to be some kind of “leader” of your own group. These words made the significant turning point for me. In the next three years my biggest “problem” was not to put up my hand all the time.. At those three years my English studying had also very good support from so called international social activity that happened in my family. We had an exchange student from Pennsylvania, USA, my brother’s penpals from England visited us many times and I took part to C.I.S.V activity in Geelong, Australia. This Children International Summer School was especially good for me, because I stayed for one month in a English speaking family, and also there was this Australian brother back in Finland too. After upper secondary school my level of English skills have gone down little by little. Lack of using the language is naturally the main reason. I feel I still do understand English quite well but producing speak is harder and harder at the same time with my diminishing vocabulary.Working with tourism in different hotels and in travel agency Kilroy Travels has helped me a little bit to maintain my speaking skills. I’m not working at the moment, but luckily I have some English speaking friends, so there should still be some hope for me.