Turkey is Ariem's pet name.
This is a page of MR. Ariem's English Guidebook named " LEARNING ENGLISH THE A.C Way"
We are by nature different from one another. This uniqueness is very much inherent which creates an impression that everything is relative. By relative, I mean nothing is completely perceived the same way by different people. Like when I say learning English is fun, others would frown in disagreement and would say it’s damn boring. When I say I am cute (don’t think I look like your puppy), others would scowl at my face with this to say: “Wake up, you’re day dreaming.” Or maybe when I say learning English is easy, you might choke me to death because you feel that learning English is terribly difficult. Also, you might think that speaking English in public is more than a nightmarish experience, but excuse me, I have this to say; it is simply fulfilling. However, these differences in our ideas and the ways we view things do not incapacitate us from learning. In fact, we are all capable of learning new things, of course, in different paces. I mean others learn fast, others learn otherwise.
Allow me to reminisce and share my experiences when I was still a green-horned English learner. By the way, I had the inkling to learn English when I was three (at least that’s what my mother would always tell her friends). By then, I already knew the English names of some animals and the first name I learned was Turkey; hence, my name Turkey. As far as I remember, I started to really take learning English seriously when I was a first grader. I just liked to speak differently from the rest of the children around me. I was always at awe and fascination when my teacher would speak English in the class. So, I promised myself to study English. Learning grammar was far from easy. It was very confusing and challenging. I thought my English would not improve at all since I failed English tests several times during my high school.
When I entered college, there was an interview for all the college entrants. It so happened that the question was quite hypothetical and it went this way: “If your little sister tore pages of the book you borrowed from the library, what would you do and why?” That was my first interview experience by the way. All I wanted to do was to impress my interviewer with my answer so I tried my best to answer it in English. This was my answer: “If that happened to me, I would tell the librarian the truth and I would promise not to be negligent of my things especially the ones which I just borrowed. Also, I would apologize in admission of my negligence.” By the way, the interview was indeed nerve-wracking for me. It was not without the intensity 8 knee-trembling experience. After my college entrance test and my interview, I was amazed when I was listed among those students who successfully passed and not only that I was listed on the FIRST SECTION. At that time, I felt that my English was validated. I felt that my English was good enough but I did not stop learning.
Learning is a continuous process as everybody knows it. During my college days, I had the opportunity to speak English most of the time since the English Only Zone Policy was strictly implemented and observed. Besides, I was a student-leader so every time I attended meetings, seminars, and trainings, English was the medium of communication. Also, my classmates and I were expected to speak English since it was a requisite skill as would-be Biology and Mathematics teachers. At first, I was obviously overawed in the class since most of my classmates were very good English speakers. But I was challenged so I told myself not to be intimidated. I took the chance to learn English from my classmates by honestly asking for their help. They did help me. I was very honest enough to tell when I didn’t understand an English sentence. I made it a point that I would learn things they already knew or even those which they didn’t know. I must say I learned English just like them. With this, I can say that Turkey is very much capable of learning.
By the way, I finished Bachelor in Secondary Education major in Biology and minor in Mathematics and I am now an English Trainer. This is quite ironic to some but this is true. This experience of mine tells me one thing and I hope this would inspire you: “ If others are capable of learning and improving themselves, then you also have all what it takes to learn and improve. If others can, you also can! Turkey says you CAN”
