Narrativas Coletadas por Carla Reichmann

2. M.R.
About My Timeline

When I think about English and my experience with it, I cannot avoid mentioning some facts which have happened to me throughout my life that seem, somehow, unimportant, but that quite on the contrary are the pillars of my foreign language acquisition.
My first impulse for learning a foreign language, Eglish, to be more specific, was not to be here where I am now, studing for becoming an English teacher. No, before that there was my passion for another kind of language (if could call it like that, I am sorry for the musitians if I cannot), “music”. There was my will to understand the songs that I used to listen to, at that time. This may sound silly, but it is not! And good for me that it had led me to something that later would be really useful to me, for example, to help me entering University and finally getting away from my town, in 2000. So, I believe that I must thank God for the existence of music and for my fascination for it, which I think that was born before me, for I do not remember when it started.
Another thing that I must thank God for, my sister, the one who lives in São Paulo, she found out, in the most hard way, how important speaking English is nowadays, so, in 1999 she gave me the opportunity to start learning English at Cultura Inglesa, in Patos-PB. Now it is funny for me to think of how a person so lazy as I am, used to wake up very early in the morning to travel one hour and a half, on Saturdays, to have my English classes. I loved doing that, I must say. My reports always used to bring a beautiful highlightened “Excellent”. Interesting how I almost forgot this, why not to say, “wonderful” feeling. Here, at University, then...!
There, at Culutra Inglesa, I was introduced to the “wonderland” of the cinema, as they used to show some films to us, now and then. In my town it was not so easy, there were not the video shops that there are today. Films only on TV and in Portuguese. I remember when I saw Titanic, I was reallyamazed. It is great when you realize that you can understand some speeches in a film, each time more clearly.

My experience with Literature in English was with a xerox of the book “Tess of the Duberville”, by Thomas Hardy, a sad and dense story, it was quite hard for me, but I liked it. I have never seen the film. I read this book for mere
curiosity, it had nothing to do with my course. I tried other languages, too. In 2003 I started studying Spanish at home and it was very frustrating because it is so similar to Portuguese that I could not avoid confusing both languages. Then, in 2004, I started dating an Italian boy. This was not a good experience, but now I can read and understand Italian. No, I cannot speak.
Last year I started teaching English privately, and all I have to say is that I am not a teacher at all. Basically, my contact with the language consists on listening to music (jazz, blues, rock and classical), seeing films (from the 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's, which are my favourite, and some new good ones, why not?) and the books that read. What I am trying to say is that my English is supported mainly by my true will-power to know , not only the language, but all that the language can teach me. I may be sorry for being here, taking the place of somebody who is and wants to be a teacher, but I cannot be sorry for the time that I have passed here, for all that I have learned thanks to this course, I have learned so much
about so many things and about myself. My experience here, more than academic or professional, was personal.
The knowledge I am holding with me for ever in golden frame. The degree I will send to my family in black silk paper.