Narrativas coletadas por Liliane Sade

Aprendiz 8: (sexo masculino, certificado de proficiência, 9o período de Letras)

My learning experience

As requested, this reports aims at expressing my own learning experience as far as English as as foreign language is concerned.

To start with, it is of a vital importance to mention that I was always very interested in learning a second language, especially English, since I was a child.  This desire to master English was so uncontrollably strong that at the age of  seven I started studying alone in my house with books from the local library. Although I was unable to pronounce the words  I was capable of reading and writing.

 One year later, at the age of eight, I was able to understand all the phonemic symbols which helped me improve or start pronouncing the words correctly. Basically, I spent about three years of my life studying English alone.

My aptitude to learn English was so strong that my mother decided to enroll me in a language school, at that time Curso Yes – Cultura Inglesa  today.  Strange as it may seem, I was one of the worst students in the class.  I found out that I was extremely shy and it was very difficult for me to socialize. I do believe now that one of the reasons why I felt so intimidated was the fact that the majority of my classmates had already studied English in Curso Yes  and they were all very rich and snobbish guys. I was a very simple person and at the same time very frightened of being in a “big city” alone, taking into consideration that my home town is Lagoa Dourada, much smaller than São João. I was kind of a “ caipira em Nova York”.

I never felt at ease with this group and I couldn´t change to another group because I had a  busy timetable and mainly because I depended on the time of the buses to go to my house in Lagoa Dourada. Things got unbearable when a student humiliated me in front of the whole class  and the teacher agreed with that. As a dire consequence I gave up the course.

Some years later I decided to return to Cultura Inglesa. At that time I was an adolescent full of energy and self-confidence. There was nothing of that  “caipira em Nova York” anymore. I was different, taller, more beautiful (I used to think I was beautiful at that time). I started studying with people from my age and I liked the teacher a lot. In fact I fell in love with her. I was the best student. Besides, everything I learnt alone in my house made sense for me and I learnt the language very fast. Before finishing the first book I received an European in my house and I spoke fluent English with him.

I concluded all levels of English and I took and passed in all Cambridge Exams: PET, FCE, CAE and CPE. I have the best memories of my teachers and I still remember many of the lessons I was taught.

In brief my learning process was extremely profitable and not even for a second disturbing. I may shoulder the responsibility of  my success as a speaker of English as a second language on my teachers, the way they delivered the lessons and of course on my dedication and interest.