Even as a Top Student in Language School, I Couldn’t Understand Real English🌸

After studying at a language school in the Philippines, I continued studying English at a language school in Australia. My level gradually improved, and eventually I was able to understand almost everything my teachers were saying.

However, once I graduated and entered the real world, I faced a completely different challenge.

I could hardly understand the English spoken by shop staff, government office workers, or people at service counters. Unlike teachers, they did not slow down, repeat themselves, or patiently help me understand. Sometimes I felt they were thinking, “What is this Asian person trying to say?” Their reactions could be cold, and my confidence quickly began to fade.

Still, I refused to give up. Little by little, I started understanding more of what people were saying. At the same time, I noticed something interesting: the way people treated me began to change as my English improved.

Looking back, I think that was when real language learning truly began.