Another school year has ended. For some, there are still examinations to come, for others this is it.For many there are no more English lessons in sight. We (11th graders) are an example of that. Through out all these years of learning English I never gave much thought to the day when they would come to an end. And that day was today. This isn't definitive, though. I will never give up on English because, aside from speaking my own language, learning and communicating in English is one of the most pleasant things I can do and, I am sure, one of my best tools. Like I've written today, still in class, English is culture. For the last two years we've discussed so many subjects that I am thrilled with the depths of our conclusions. We've been visited by North American people (our nice Global Volunteers) and, I confess, those were the lessons where I felt the excitment of speaking with a foreigner, specially one who spoke a better English than I do. I still remember our first lesson with Mrs. Rocha. The topic of our conversation was the importance of the English language in our modern world and the reason why we had chosen English as a second language. My answer was, basically, that I had always adored English, because it widened my horizons and it increased my odds in every area of life, and also because I very much appreciated English speaking countries (the words were not exactly these ones because I didn't know them at the time although I meant them), being my favourite the UK. Among other things, Mrs. Rocha told me "The grass is greener on the other side of the hill". This proverb kept popping out every once in a while in my mind and, for some unknown reason, I didn't forget it.Now I understand that the first words exchanged between people who don't know each other are, in fact, the most important ones. And now that communication has got so far that people who are in different and distant parts of the Earth can actually talk and share values, ideas and cultural aspects of their lives, we have reached a turning point: we are no longer just Portuguese, or British, or Cuban, or Chinese, or Russian, or Greek, or South African. We are global citizens and communication is pivotal to overcome all the prejudice that still has a strong presence in our world. Therefore, if we learn a new language, speaking and communicating, in general, will become easier tasks to accomplish. Due to a better understanding we will bridge our differences, foster tolerance and respect, perhaps build a better world where there is room for everybody and where no one will be discriminated because they have a different skin color or a different religion.Nevertheless, it seems that our main problem is communication and it is not that simple, whether it is because we're narrow-minded, or because we're not understood. So, as someone said before me, "what we have here is a failure to communicate". What better solution than learning first and speaking only after we're prepared for that? Hey! Listening is also a very important step! Joining both qualities looks pretty attractive and, guess what?! It is possible! I believe that many of our global riots would find better solutions if those involved cared about listening and understanding. Many people suffer and get angry with the world apparently for no reason, when what they need is to be heard ("Freedom Writers" is really an awesome example). Listening, trying to understand, learning how to communicate and being careful with our words (so that we won't hurt anybody's feelings) are some of the aspects we all should take into consideration. Attention, people! We need education if we want to do all this! What better place to start than our school?! Let's listen carefully to our teachers, make some effort to understand their work, focus on the important subjects, collect knowledge and, hopefully, we'll be ready to communicate.
Patricia Caixeirinho, 5th June 2009
