Hi there!
I told you at the beginning of the present academic year, the year 2016 A.D., that it is better to try to aim for specific resolutions rather than very generic ones, and that one of them was being able to perform the human flag. Well, I have kind of pulled it off. Here you are, you'll be the judge:
Well, to be honest, a PERFECT human flag should be slightly more horizontal, but that's horizontal enough to be called a human flag without me losing my face, and maybe it won't get more horizontal until a couple of weeks, and the academic year is coming to its end, right? Anyway, I told and promised you that once I cold perform a decent flag, you wouldn't be the first to know, but you I would eventually let you know. So, please, don't call me "show off" or anything like that (not at least to my face!), because I'm just keeping a promise I made!
The thing about the flag is that I think about it as a metaphor for achieving things that we consider absolutely unthinkable and impossible, but that little by little, by means of practice and by overcoming frustration and failure, they turn out possible! You need to have some passion and interest in them, though! Well, all this applies to English of course! Nothing is impossible if you try hard and you try to have some passion too!
I wish I can do the same to you with my English,I really try it.Sometimes I watch English tv at home like bbc news or some documentary about animals...(these are easier),when I drive to work I usually listen to English postcast on the radio and every day I read one or two pages from my small English book (at least).But when I have to speak English or I want to speak English my mind is blank,my brain doesn´t think clear,and the words sound in a good way inside of my but then when I speak...everything sounds like indian language.
ReplyDeleteWell, I suppose that little by little I can get understandable English.
Hey, Keti! Thanks so much for your comment!
DeleteIt's completely normal that you find spoken English the most difficult task to accomplish. It is, indeed the most difficult thing to do in any language, to speak it fluently. The reasons are many: when you speak (especially in front of other people paying attention to what you what to say), you are exposed and that makes you specially self-conscious about your English, about making mistakes, etc.
But I always say it is a question of practice and persistence, and all the things you mention in your comment can help in the mid/ long run, of course, but I guess the best way to polish up your speaking is having some practice with someone who could give you some feedback and correct mistakes and suggest alternative expressions/ phrases, etc... Like the following (about your comment):
"Postcast" should be "podcast".
"I read one or two pages OF my small..."
"... my mind GOES blank"
"... my mind doesn't think CLEARLY"
"Indian language" (capital I)
And, sure, you'll get pretty understandable English!
WRITTEN BY TATYANA ARNALDOS JURADO.
ReplyDeleteIs that you in the picture?Is you!hahaha I clicked almost by chance before I read it... so good. The truth is that I don't remember that you said anything about that topic of the human flag -I did remember that you mentioned something about it and that Alvaro who was sitting next to me explained to me what it was because I have never heard that term before. In any case, thanks for inform us of such huge event... hahaha I'm not clear... have we scored you or something like that?I'll give you a 7.5 -Are you able to sing a rock song at the same time you are doing it?-If so, I would go up my score until a 8, more not, sorry. hahahahaha.
ANYWAY, I have to say that flag, although it is quite good performed-I'm not say not-, it is a little bit like my speaking, at half mast, hahaha. It is lacked only just to be perfect, but how you say, there are still a few weeks to finish this academic year. If you get doing a perfect flag, let us know it - I don't think that it is so difficult , this night I'll try to do it in any lamppost when I take the dog for a walk, when anybody is looking at me, of course!hahaha
TALKING SERIOUSLY, using the flag like a metaphor to get things is great, but UNFORTUNATELY passión, hard work and effort aren't synonymous of succesful- you can apply it to any field which come to mind.
With English I have that feeling every now and then, I have a iron willpower-believe it or not I haven't missed to one class from I started my first year in the EOI, I have studied every day. I read books, I listen music and Vaughan method, I see flicks, series, when it's time to speak it I feel uncomfortable, weird... Don't you see that I look like as if I was put in a cast?hahaha I look like an indian!( even in my aspect I would say)hahahaha
I hope be able to overcome that barrier, it still remain 2 weeks of period. I will put all my effort, passion and dedication in the same way you did in your flag. I promise.
P.D IF I GET MY B1 I'LL DO MY OWN HUMAN FLAG. I PROMISE. WITH PIC EH!
Hahahaha, yes, that's me. I know it lacks some horizontality (yes, a couple of grades haha), but a couple of months ago, this was absolutely unthinkable, so I'm proud with the progress I made! Pretty half-mast, hahaha. Anyway, if you want to try (you say it doesn't look difficult, right? ;-), grab a vertical post and push with one arm and pull with the other. If you can lift your body off the ground and hold it more than, say, 2 seconds, that'd be an absolute FEAT!
DeleteAnd, as in the cause of Keti, all the things you've been doing to improve your English will pay off, do you doubt it? Plateaus are sometimes complicated to get over, and that happens in every aspect in life (English, sports, studies, relationships...). Sticking to one's guns and being determined not to give up is the difficult path. Again, genuinely enjoying something and having some passion for it helps one not throw in the towel. So please, just keep doing what you've been doing. Be attentive to my feedback and other people's feedback and things will work out well. Oh, yeah, and please, don't translate literally, it rarely works at all!
Now some feedback:
"hard work and effort aren't SYNONYMS (noun) of SUCCESS (Noun).
"... to any field which COMES to mind"
"I have AN iron willpower"
"I haven't missed one (single) class..." (without TO)
"I listen TO music..."
"I hope TO be able to..."
A couple of corrections, in a lengthy comment, so no big worries!
And d'you know what? Remember a person is as great as their ability to keep their word and their promises. So, if you get that, I want YOUR flag!!!