Literacy Narrative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Literacy Narrative - Essay Example At a moment, he had no prior role in my life while next moment he proved out to be a blessing in disguise, defining for me some purposefulness in life. I never had much regard for literacy and education but that event was pivotal in making me question my own ignorance and beliefs. A turning stone We were born and brought in Middle East, where Arabic was our primary native language while ability to speak English was an add-on. I never did much effort trying to learn other languages or seek education since Arabic sufficed all my needs to communicate on daily basis. I still can clearly visualize that day when I met Hashim for the first time at his home 6 years back when he invited Ali for lunch and Ali tagged me along. Hashim was only 11 years old then which makes him 5 years younger than me. After getting done with our meals, we rested in couch while Hashim connected his laptop to internet. After signing in to Windows Live Messenger, he called out to me, ‘Hey, give me your email address so I can add you to my friends’ list and we can chat online sometimes’. This came as a shock for me as I wasn’t expecting him to be so fluent at English, especially at such young age, that he was capable of chatting online in this language. I still had to hear it from him once so I confirmed and received his confident reply, ‘Yes, I can speak in English fluently’. ... Soon I was able to realize that he belongs to an extremely rich family who must have spent massive amounts of money on his education. Nevertheless, that moment I promised myself that I shall work on my English language and soon be a fluent at writing, speaking and understanding it. To enable this, the very next day I joined a language institute to improve my English and enhanced my fluency within few days. This was a turning stone for my life and career: I got accepted at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, one of the best reputable universities in gulf countries. Additionally, the first year was a probation year where we had to go through extensive testing, including two English courses where the mentors were native English speakers. This also gave me an edge to get a better grip on American as well as British English language, terminologies and accent and distinctions between them. Due to my strong skills in the language, I was easily able to survive the first year with excellent grades. Concluding remarks Owing to my embarrassing moment triggered by Hashim’s question, not only did I get an aim and direction in life to be determined about, I also became part of a prestigious educational institution, built a strong career and have excellent communication skills in English language as of today. This was a crucial milestone in my life which modified my beliefs and attitude towards literacy. I became more mature and responsible and developed respect for educational concerns. Moreover, I started helping people in my vicinity to overcome their communication problems so they do not have to face similar embarrassing situation