What is your experience of English learning?

English, despite having only the second most native speakers, is the most widely used language throughout the globe regardless of geographical region. As far as Taiwan is concerned, English is a mandatory subject in every stage of compulsory education. I, with no exception, have been learning English my whole life, and this journey has been rewarding.

My earliest memory of English learning dates back to the preschool age when I was learning the 26 alphabets and their respective pronunciations. While English is my second language, this phase of learning was rather enjoyable. In fact, alphabets are much simpler than Chinese characters. After grasping the basic rules of pronunciation, I remember teachers guiding us to practice each combination of vowels and consonants. In addition, learning to refer to objects was quite fascinating because it felt like I had more control over my mysterious surrounding. In short, I was introduced to English at the very beginning of my education, which was the valuable foundation of my further journey.

In high school, English classes became more challenging for me. First, teachers started to dive into grammar, which was truly intimidating for someone who learns English as a second language. For example, I constantly struggled with whether to put a particle in front of a noun. Moreover, the vocabulary in the textbooks became so abstract and elusive that I suffered to memorize new words. Although students are prone to surrender to English during this stage of learning, I decided to take the hard road and bought a college vocabulary and grammar book which took me an entire year to pore over. Thankfully, I overcame the hindrance and grew to be comfortable with reading long articles owing to my investment of time in mastering vocabulary and grammar.

Finally, my third stage of English learning started when I entered college. One major change in college is that English, to many's relief, is no longer a required subject unless you major in foreign language and literature study. However, such a change deprived me of the opportunity to continue learning as a result. In recognition of the importance of English, I decided to immerse myself in more English-speaking environments by volunteering to host foreign exchange students and attending foreign schools as a visiting student. Overall, these experiences propelled me to advance my English proficiency and landed me an ideal job in an English-speaking country.

To sum up, my journey of English learning is full of challenges. Nonetheless, every time I overcome a setback, I become stronger and more confident in using this second language. Moreover, I come to realize that persistence is the only way to glory and success.