Why Must We Need to Study English Language Course

Imagine yourself in a foreign land where people speak a language you just heard of for the very first time. How will you survive if you have not learned a second language where almost everybody knows how to speak? Why would you step on a strange land on the first place if you don’t know how to speak their native language? Or much worse, you don’t know how to speak the international language that is the English? Perhaps you won a raffle ticket that offers a free round trip ticket to India and it is the least country that comes to your mind for spending a vacation. 

At some point of our life there will be great changes due to better opportunities. Some people are being sent to other countries for business purposes as a nature of their job. Other couples find it better to migrate to other countries together with their children because they believe a good future for their children can be definitely found in such place. Other professionals decide to work outside their own native land because a very good job offer is waiting. Most often, wealthy people, or even common individuals, travel abroad for pleasure or to enjoy a breathtaking vacation.

Again, imagine yourself you won a hundred million in a lottery. Wouldn’t you consider a luxury cruise on your next vacation? Or perhaps amuse yourself in Las Vegas? I’m sure you know how to converse with foreign people using simple English, but since you already have millions, why not study English course at English language school for your language adequacy? Learning English as second language doesn't cost you much. Isn’t it atrocious when you have millions but your spoken English language is abominable? Try to think about it.

Some countries like China, there are still native people who are frightened when they hear foreign people specifically Americans who are speaking the English language. A former boss of mine from my previous job spent a vacation to China together with her American husband. They went around shopping and when they decided to buy something her husband spoke to the Chinese vendor (of course in English language) but to their surprise the Chinese vendor got scared and ran away. It was really funny they thought. It was then her husband decided to settle in China and teach (since he was a retired teacher) because he wanted to help these poor people.  

I remember myself when I was like 6 or 7 years old. We used to live in a big island where my father worked at a big nickel refinery plant. With the economy that was booming, foreign investors used to come and go. I always startled whenever I saw white people walking around. I wasn’t scared because of their different looks, I was scared because of their big voice and their strange dialect. And that was like 30 years ago. Now, I have worked with different foreign companies and talking to English speaking people and writing English articles became my cup-of-tea. 

When I was in grade school my sister used to tease me with my erroneous English grammars. I wasn’t as hardworking student as she was. She excelled in the academics all throughout our schools years, and I was always contented with a grade of a few more percent below the passing line is already failure. And that became a challenge. Until one day I was asked by a friend of mine to host her wedding reception. The official photographer of her wedding was a member of an elite society that is the Toastmaster Club. He then invited me to join because he believed I could be a great speaker. I was very flattered. 

I accepted his invitation though I was skeptical. The second time I joined their gathering I was asked to speak in front of a considerable number of people after the heavy dinner and talk about my experience. Astounded with what to say, I stood up in front anxiously and started my speech with, “I honestly don’t know how to start,” and gave them my genuine smile. I heard someone from the crowd, “that is fine, you can do it!” and she smiled back at me. A gentle smile that shows like how a mother assures her child that everything will be fine. After a very few moments, I was already talking intermittently and I realized I only had few minutes to speak. I was really ecstatic with their positive reaction.

Thanks to the San Miguel Corporation Toastmaster Club of Cebu for my wonderful experience. Well, I did not register as a member because I can barely afford their monthly fee.  I was just a fresh college graduate then and was looking for a job when that experience happened. But it was indeed a great chance for me to develop my English language skills and since then, I gained more confidence and was able to develop my English proficiency.