English in My Life

When my teacher said "good morning" to me on the very first day of school, I knew that she would be teaching a tough subject. She didn't get any answer for that greeting because back then, I knew nothing about "good morning". Surprisingly, as I went through the class session on that day, I realized that "good morning" wasn't the first English phrase that I'd known. English has been rooted in my society long before my country achieved its independence and shockingly I've used some of its words in my daily speech without realizing it because the words were fully modified by the society so that they could be installed smoothly into our language.

Learning English was always an interesting yet tough experience for me. English did attract my attention and I was so excited to learn it at the beginning. However, after I was introduced to the term `grammar' and all its application, my interest to learn English seemed to fade away bit by bit. Grammar is not the only obstacle that I have to face in learning English. Speaking English is very odd in my society although there are some amazing uses of English in this society. It's common to hear English-like words such as kona (corner), taing (time) and kofem (confirm) spoken in my society. However, since all those words are well assimilated into my first language, they become part of my identity. Therefore, when I speak those words, I never realize that they are originally from the English language. Consequently, English remains odd.

There are fourteen states in Malaysia and twelve of them are situated in peninsular Malaysia. The peninsular itself and can be divided into eastern, northern and western regions. People in each region have their own essence of t...

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...an't wait for the time when I can speak in English fluently because to me it is a rewarding achievement if I can do something other people can't. After all, I was actually far behind those in my society who had realized the importance of English long before I did. It's very surprising to know that there is a group of people in my community who have successfully completed their degrees in those favorable Ivy League universities in the United States of America.

Right now I am enjoying the fun and the challenge of learning English in its state of origin. I have sacrificed my time in Malaysia and I have left my loving family behind just because of my commitment towards English but I will never regret my decision to come to the States. It is because I have a big responsibility to bring the `language' with the development that comes with it back to my country, Malaysia.