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English

Misteries of language learning

I was 15 when I first traveled abroad, and I had been taking English classes for 8 years when I went to England, in an exchange program. The first stop, after leaving Heathrow, was the level test at school - the Anglo Continental in Bournemouth, south shore. I was good at grammar, I had enough vocabulary, I was leveled "advanced". No English speaking up to that moment because I was in a big group of Brazilians, all very excited about the trip, chatting in our own language.
Then I was taken "home". I didn't even have to talk to the taxi driver, the group guide arranged everything. I was then left alone in front of the house. A really shy girl, an overly protected only child... I couldn't take one step towards the house. My mind was empty. All those years of studies made no difference at all. I simply didn't know what to say!
I was stuck there when my host father arrived home. He approached, asked who I was, I murmured "I live here", he laughed and replied some joke I could not understand, we got inside, I was introduced to Rachel, David then picked the phone and dialed the operator. I remember learning the expression "reverse call (to Brazil)", which meaning I had to infer by the situation. And I had to talk to the operator. And it was like a key had been turned inside my mind. In Brazil we have this saying "necessity makes the frog jump"...
After that tense moment I became a chatterbox and finally understood I had really been learning during the previous years. It's no overstatement to say it changed my life: it was the first time I was really proud of myself.

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Comment(s)

Well total immersion is the best way to learn a language . One is consistently exposed to langage stimuli and just cannot shut off. So progress are rapid because of this healthy stress you were exposed to. This is why it is extremelly challenging for people who learn a foreign language while being in their own country. They lack this unceasing exposure which is like water to a fish. It is an important factor that teachers must take into account with their students so as to diminish its negative incidence. Serg
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Corrections

deleted.10171
Misteries Mysteries of language learning
I was 15 when I first traveled abroad, and I had been taking English classes for 8 years when I went to England, in an exchange program. The first stop , after leaving Heathrow , was the level test at school - the Anglo Continental in Bournemouth, south shore South Shore . I was good at grammar, I had enough vocabulary, I was leveled " at an advanced " level . No English speaking up to that moment because I was in a big group of Brazilians, all very excited about the trip, chatting in our own language.
Then I was taken "home". I didn't even have to talk to the taxi driver, the group guide arranged everything. I was then left alone in front of the house. A really shy girl, an overly protected only child... I couldn't take one step towards the house. My mind was empty. All those years of studies made no difference at all. I simply didn't know what to say!
I was stuck there when my host father arrived home. He approached, asked who I was, I murmured "I live here", he laughed and replied some joke I could not understand, we got inside, I was introduced to Rachel, David then picked the phone and dialed the operator. I remember learning the expression "reverse call (to Brazil)", which meaning I had to infer by the situation. And I had to talk to the operator. And it was like a key had been turned inside my mind. In Brazil we have this saying "necessity makes the frog jump"...
After that tense moment I became a chatterbox and finally understood I had really been learning during the previous years. It's no overstatement to say it changed my life: it was the first time I was really proud of myself.
Posted

Comment(s)

You still use a lot of commas. Again this is a stylistic choice and you are free to do what you want, however I advise against it. It isn't wrong perse, but I can hear my professors rolling in their graves.
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