I'm learning English by myself. Come see how I'm doing it.

 

Today, I am here to talk about my first steps towards learning English once and for all! Are you ready?👊

My first step: Planning and commitment

    My goal is to pursue a Ph.D. program outside of my home country of Brazil later this year, and in order to do that, I need to have proficiency in English, as all universities require proof of language proficiency.

    To achieve this goal, I have started a plan together with my boyfriend, who lives with me. We believe that unity is strength, and involving family can make it even easier. So, I began by asking myself questions such as: What is my goal? What is my current level of English proficiency? What materials do I need to study? How many hours per day do I need to devote to studying in order to reach my goal? After answering these questions and putting everything down on paper, I made a to-do list.

    This is just the first step - asking questions and setting a goal. Having a goal will help motivate me to achieve it.

My second step: The to-do list

    Taking an English proficiency test was at the top of my to-do list. Why? Because if you know your level, you will know where to start. So my boyfriend and I searched for websites that test English proficiency, and we found one called https://www.efset.org/ef-set-50/. After taking the 50-minute test, you receive a certificate that proves your level, and you can return after 90 days to take a new test. My proficiency level is almost at A2. As a result, I decided to start from the beginning and work on improving my proficiency from the lowest level."

The search for quality, free materials was a top priority for me since I am on a scholarship and paying is out of the question. So my boyfriend and I began looking for free courses (which are hard to come by, but I found some) and support materials such as books, apps, videos, lessons, and tests. How did we find them? There isn't much of a secret, we had to search in English to find the best materials and open many tabs to have several options to later separate the good from the bad.

Organization of the chosen materials. I took paper and pencil, and again came the question, Where to start? as my English level is still low (A1 to A2), I decided to start from the beginning "verb to be". So I separated the materials that will be my base and those that will be supported.

Step Three: Family Reunion

    We have chosen a start date and have set a target for when I should have a good enough level of English to take the proficiency test, which is in September. After doing the math, we have decided to dedicate 5 hours a day to learning English. We also keep in mind that we have other daily activities such as housework and writing a dissertation. To immerse ourselves in English, we are replacing Portuguese with English in everything we do, from watching news channels to having conversations at home. It helps that my boyfriend is fluent in English, so it makes it easier. A tip for anyone learning a new language: date fluent people rsrs 😂! In my Vivaldi calendar, I plan my studies for the next day, making my schedule flexible. 

Don't know Vivaldi? Check out my blog post: https://samarascientist.blogspot.com/2023/02/vivaldi-indispensable-tool.html

    It has been difficult, but I feel that the more time passes, the better it gets, we adapt, you know? I hope it stays that way, sometimes you might think your brain is going crazy, it literally hurts, but I'm here strong, and I see improvement with each passing day, how? when I can read a text without needing a translator, when I can understand someone speaking without having to read subtitles, that is progress!

    In the next post, I'll tell you what my materials are, and how I'm using each one. That's it and let's stay focused!