I’ve forgotten when it’s the first time in my childhood that it became a Saturday tradition of my family to watch Zhengda Variety Show, a top-rated quiz and talk show based on the topic of traveling. At an age when traveling is still not so common in China, the show’s hosts can travel all over the world and communicate with foreigners fluently. It seems to me now that my simple desire for learning English is indeed rooted just in those happy Saturday hours during my child days.

As with my local friends, I began taking English lessons from junior high school. It impressed me so much when our English teacher, Miss Guan, who was also in charge of our class, first came into the classroom as a lovable 19 year-old girl, a sister to us rather than a teacher. No one believed that such an inexperienced young girl can conquer our class and subdue those naughty boys. But later, we found ourselves to be so lucky to have her with us. To me, the four years’ memory is one of the most precious treasures of my life. She taught with all her passion and sincerity, and was always prepared to help us with both our study and life. During her extra weekend classes, we finished the study of New Concept English book 1 and 2 in absolute happiness. And we also went skating, struggling with a huge zigzag puzzle, or enjoyed her carefully prepared lunch with self-made plum juice and coda bruised chicken wings. I still occasionally watch “Roman Holiday” and “the Sound of Music”, for Miss Guan used to show us these two movies and patiently taught us phrases in them as much as possible. With her love and devotion, I was moved to work hard and finally built a solid foundation and infinite interest for English learning in my junior high school period.

Senior high school period is a transition to self-dependent learning. There are no more extra English classes. I followed my teacher’s suggestions and finished the learning of the whole New Concept English book 3 by consulting dictionaries and watching teaching videos. Deeply believing that fully digesting one book is better than swallowing ten, I learned very detailed and also tried to expand the topic of each lesson. In this way, I not only made great progress in English learning but developed the ability of self-learning.

After entering college, self-learning played a crucial role in my English learning. I managed to teach myself the courses for English major students so that I could learn English systematically and deepen my English learning further into the culture and literature field. With my interest in English, I made good use of my college years to study while many of my classmates relaxed instead after their hardworking high school days. As a reward of my efforts, I got 6.5 for IELTS in the first college year, and passed the examination for tour guide certificate in English.

Now I worked in the office of Tui China, and also as its English-speaking guide. I love my present job, for it keeps me improving my English and also that it offers me chances to introduce Chinese culture to people from other countries. Meanwhile, I’ve begun my first term in the Institute of Online Education, Beijing Foreign Studies University which makes possible the balance between working and learning.

To me, English is more than a tool. In the process of learning English, I share happy memories with my friends and teachers, harvest the ability to learn things independently, and even gain an insight into foreign cultures. I will continue with my study in English out of my interest for it and also in hope for more chances it will offer me.

北京总部学习中心 刘洋