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by Gergő Aszalós There've been many before writing many page long studies on the importance of foreign languages so I won't do that. Instead of writing about something dull I've chosen to point out how cool it can be to feel a chill running down your spine while talking to a non Hungarian stranger naturally in English. Obviously my hands are tied with regards to being completely candid since this is a piece of work which is displayed on the official website of my beloved secondary school so it's making me anxious to combine fun and duty in order to present... something. 'Good morning class! What a beautiful morning we're having today - let's have some fun to warm you up little buddies. You look so happy. Please open your books on page 235 and do some grammar.' 'Oh no man, you're kidding me!' 'Do as you were told. Ok, look, it's like a jungle with foliage, and full of little monkeys who want to live. But if the trees aren't strong enough and the foundation is weak then these little pre-humans have no chance to live on.' Look familiar to you? Now imagine a better kick-off for your morning, something new to be put on top of your agenda. Close your eyes and believe that you're in a little fishing village near the ocean buying fish and chips for lunch. Reality isn't far from you, kid. And being a part of the London crowd has come to you. Think potential. Talking about potential I mean that even if you feel that the people around you get different treatment than you, or something in front of your very nose is not fair you can prove your quality by learning a language. By the opportunity being given to you it's up to you how you can take the advantage of the situation and prove that you're at least as good as everybody else around you. In small language groups you can show to your teacher - or if it's more important for you - to you, how good you are, you can fight the circumstances - including yourself - to get to the top and you can reach your goals. To be fully confident about what you're doing - talking about language business - you need to realise your weak points besides the 'talent' in your ego. If you consider every person, who wants to help you, to be equal, a new door will open up in front of you and all you will have to do is to walk in and take what you can find in there. Knowledge won't come to you begging you to be let in. If you have the security given by the anthology of words and the mind that you're aware of what you want to say; and you have independent thoughts on the world and you're ready to experience and share, it's time to get those hiking boots on and conquer a New World. You can't imagine a better way to improve your already existing language skills but to talk to native speakers in the original environment. The trips to England organised by the school are good for these purposes. For the certain amount of money you pay in you get an all-inclusive quality service. A comfortable coach will take you on your journey; you will have excess to museums, guided tours around cities, good company and a nice host family which will take care of you while you stay in the UK. If you're ingenious enough you can chew over the fat of topics long into the night - and it's not a problem if your and the host family's opinion is different. After a supper around the lunch table you can get to know the secret, which makes the English so 'damn superior'. Mentality and view on the world. Dare to talk. The situation in the West is unchanged I experienced it - everything is shinier, better and western. The approach of people is so different from ours that sometimes it freaks me out. When you visit a place the second time you not just focus on the charm but if you walk with a critical eye you can see that the man in the street also has probs and the homeless are just as miserable as in other parts of Europe. The difference is that the English can always see that silver lining that every cloud has. The best way to test your English is to use it in action. What I've seen is that many people don't open their mouths to talk even if they know how to interpret their thoughts into a foreign language. The British are friendly therefore there is nothing to be afraid of. In classes you can learn the vocab and the grammatical structures you will need in a real conversation and if you have the luck to be part of one of the school-organised trips you can feel rightfully that you have an opportunity to put yourself to a test which will be marked by not your teachers but by the situations of life. Shopping in a small shop owned by an elderly person can involve a big amount of talking which is quite inevitable but this is good for you since you can get know some cultural background information which cannot be learned from textbooks. Asking for directions, solving problems, having fun in talking is set in the line to help you with this language in order to be fully prepared for your further education and the enterprises in the long run. On these occasions you can abstract yourself from the class-stuff, get up from the desks and do something extraordinary. See for yourself how sad the Brits can be when talking about the Frogs or how proud they are of HM the Queen or the parts of the National Heritage. Included in the service provided for you are the romantic pebbly beaches, waterfalls, pubs, quadrangles and cathedrals, the big pond, the historical Stonehenge, and the London sights and the atmosphere in a small town like Barnstaple is memorable. I don't want to take this essay too personally but for me the feelings are more important than the exact memories I take home. Describing a feeling is not easy at all. A feeling is not an emotional state and has little to do with concepts, but philosophy, adjectives and actions can emphasise the feelin'. In England you can go through a series of happenings which result is having a new question arisen: Easy English? 13th June 2008 |