Narrativas coletadas por Liliane Sade

Aprendiz 4: (sexo feminino – proficiente -  9o período de Letras)  

Narrativa coletada por Liliane Sade

How has it happened?…

I’m not sure how it all started… I remember that I enrolled myself in an English course when I was 13. Since then I am sure I love to speak a foreign language, English in this case. During the years I was learning English in a private school I was one of the best students. I was always listening to English pop music and eager to understand the lyrics to be able to sing it properly. I was attempt to every foreign on the streets. I used to offer them my help and some tips, ask where they were from and about their culture and tell about mine.

I really wanted to speak and understand English and I realized that my reality was Portuguese, as I was living in Brazil. I could not speak and hear English very often, so that I decided to bring English into my life. I started reading comics and books in English. I started bringing the opportunities closer to me, I brought English to my everyday life. I announced that I could translate English into Portuguese and vice-versa and I had some work to do during this time.

I went on learning English and after some years all I wanted was to travel abroad to an English speaking country, mainly England. I took it as a life objective during those times: I started putting money together, dedicating more often to English language and settle a possible date for my trip. It happened just the day I planned: I flew to London on the settle date.

About my experience in London: I was ashamed to speak, British accent was not easy to understand… but, anyhow I had to communicate, I had to make myself understood and there was a lot on in put all the time over: television, radio, out doors, magazines, etc. Everything was contributing to the improvement of the language inside my brain. English started “occupying” a much bigger room inside it.