Nome: Maria Cristina Cambraia
Idade: não informado
Escolaridade: não informado
Tempo de aprendizagem: não informado

I decided to do Letras, with the aim to learn English. I didn’t have opportunities to study English in a particular school (and I didn’t study in good schools during my life), so I idealized that in UFMG would be the better place to do this. 

I had my first barrier when I discover about the English Test in Vestibular, I felt very worried because the ‘open’ questions. My only helper would be the Cursinho. So I perceive that it will be unsatisfactory to help in a short time. But I couldn’t get in an English Course in that moment. I decided to buy weekly English magazines that teach English through the Larrouse Method. During a year I read and listen the tapes very enthusiastic. I remember my first lesson:
“Where is the bank?” / “Where is the hotel?” /“Where is the post office?” /“Where is the museum?”
In fact the method involve repetition of the same structure all the time. But I think it wasn’t the worst thing, the big failure was the translations of everything. You hear the phrase in English followed of the translation in Portuguese. So when I already listen several times the same lesson, I didn’t know every phrase in English, but in Portuguese. Well, I think it wasn’t a perfect method, but help me with a basic grammar to Vestibular.

After over this barrier, I have thought everything is good, but for my surprise the English class in UFMG begin in a Intermediate Level. In the first they the professor give a test and said if you do sixty percent I advise you stay in the course, otherwise not. I did tem percent. So I was enrolled in Cenex course, and I continue in Habilidades Integradas III. I get in a total immersion, because in the first days I couldn’t understanding anything. In my first oral presentation I said a text by heart. I felt beet nervous, because myself couldn’t understanding what I was saying. It was a great experience. 

Very fast I development abilities:
To reading – I have never read a book, but in the first semester a did it. 
To listening - I have the need of understand the class 
To speaking - My first professor was Kevin, a native speaker, he most of time he couldn’t understanding what I was saying)
To writing – I have never write a line for myself, but I need do a text.

So, I can perceive that I development fluency but not accuracy, I have difficulties in basic grammar, because I don’t study it. I think this is a characteristic of a Communicative Approach, so nowadays I’m trying to perfect my abilities with the Grammar rules.