A Journey to Learn!

Many people feel like they can’t learn any languages anymore. That’s not true at all. If you want to do it, you’re gonna have to try. Follow my story, and experience it with me.

My name is Joie, and I am a 9-year-old-girl. I’m from Sweden, but I was born in Taiwan, my home country. The native language there is Chinese, although I can speak, understand, write better in English. That’s probably because I've been to Sweden for like two-thirds of my life.

I think these questions were very important to me. Why did I learn English when I was so young? Why not just skip it for the future? I thought about not learning at all, but then something hit me. I wanted to flow with my fellow classmates. I wanted to laugh, talk, joke along with them.

You might think it was a piece of cake learning English, but it wasn’t. There were challenges. And I fought my best to conquer them. One of the biggest challenges was how I felt going to school on my first few days. My nerves were wracking. Everything felt difficult, having to learn a complete new language. Despite that, the teachers and students welcomed me. And their courage and hope gave me the confidence I needed. You don’t get that often, and my parents were gratified. Then, it was as if the things I needed to conquer were getting smoother, each step more closer to my goal.

When I finished preschool, I started primary school. Now, I’ve experienced my first English education, so I was more prepared, but still nervous. Again, my teachers were all helpful, guided me to learn, while having fun. I had a specific mentor who taught me in a sharp, but humorful way. I was educated all the way to 4rth grade, until I had to go.

On my flight back, I thought, How am I going to keep my English from now on? That’s when the miracle came.
I was bored one afternoon during my quarantine, watching a mosquito buzz by (There are quite a few mosquitoes the place I live in).
“Joie, we found a platform that can, well, keep your English.” My mom said. “It’s called AmazingTalker.”
“Huh?” I said, just realizing that she was telling me, added, “Uh...okay, thanks Mom.”
Truthfully, I wasn’t even interested, but I thought, give it a try.
The next day we started our first lesson. I think it was because of COVID-19, we spoke up through ZOOM. I remember using my mom’s computer, and I introduced myself to Roxy, my mentor. When my lesson was done, I left my seat, grinning broadly at my mom.
“What do you think?” Mom asked, curiously.
“It’s awesome! When’s the next lesson?”
“Great!” Mom exclaimed, she added, “Oh, we’ll see when we can book the next lesson.”

Now, I still can keep my language I used most of my life, with an extraordinary foreigner, in English. I give a billion thanks to Roxy!
Oh, and remember that learning isn’t hard, it just takes time. Go out and meet the world, and conquer it with all you’ve got.