I was born in Venezuela, so my native language is Spanish and my first steps in learning English were in high school, when I was 12 years old. However, I did not learn much English, because I did not have good teachers and their methods were boring and not very helpful. Despite having a lot of motivation in 5 years, I was only able to read simple texts and write short sentences.

My second stage was when I started my college career in January 2018. The first year after high school I did not study English at all, because I did not know how to learn a language by myself. But the next year I decided to learn English on my own. I started memorizing many words and phrases with Memrise, and in my free time I watched many series in English but with Spanish subtitles, and series in Spanish with English subtitles, to practice reading and linking sentences with an appropriate context. At that time I did not know about comprehensible input and spaced repetition, I just wanted to learn in a fun way.

After a year I was able to read social media and more complicated texts in English, and finally after watching anime with English subtitles and having difficulties at the beginning, I decided to watch English series with English subtitles. This decision was key in my journey, because it allowed me to improve my listening skills and reinforce my vocabulary. It also marked the beginning of the third stage, which was in 2020. Two months later I was able to listen to podcasts in English without subtitles. When I was able to do this, I felt great. In the meantime, I read my first book in English, "Atomic Habits" by James Clear. it was so amazing how much I accomplished, because it was proof that I was able to achieve something I thought I was incapable of doing just a few years ago.

Well, after six months of reading books in English and watching a lot of series in English, in October 2020 I started to teach math and English to teenagers at home while I can go back to college. So in September 2020 I finally studied English grammar, because I wanted to make a good and easy guide to teach English beginners. I focused mainly on verb tenses, which I knew nothing about hahaha, but I could hold simple conversations. But I found an amazing teacher whose name is Rebecca on YouTube, she has incredible videos in which she explains this subject very well. Thanks to these good explanations I have improved my English level significantly. And now I teach English with her method, but with my explanation and my little experience in this language.

My first English class began the first week of October 2020, with five 12-year-old children. In the classes I used games such as bingo, Simon says, play something..., and others. I also recommended Memrise (even some parents started using the app). In the first 10 weeks the children enjoyed the classes and understood what I explained, but unfortunately this year only two can be in the course, because the parents of the others cannot afford to pay for the course.

I have almost forgotten how I started speaking English. Well, I used Tandem in my third stage to meet people to practice my speech, but in the first month I did not have any conversations, and did not use the app for two months. Until I chatted with a close friend, who used Tandem successfully. I started to write a lot of people until I had good conversations. After a few weeks I had my first oral conversation in English, it was with a Brazilian guy, the conversation was very good, we spoke for about 45 minutes. The following weeks I had calls with 3 more people, that was very hard for me, because I had no experience hahaha, but I always had good partners. Thanks to that I discovered a lot about the Portuguese language and Asian culture.

In October I started using Lingbe to practice my speaking, because the main focus of the app is on the calls. I now use the application about 10 times a month. I still have Tandem, but I do not use it anymore, because I communicate with the people I met there through other social networks

Finally, the fourth stage started in October 2020. I can now watch series and videos on YouTube in English without subtitles, listen to podcasts and read and understand almost everything. I can also hold long conversations and understand the other person very well, but sometimes with some topics I find it difficult to explain my opinion, and I have some pronunciation problems. That's why I need to practice practice my speaking and writing a lot, because these skills are my weak points hahaha. I hope you like my little story. As a bonus, this year I started to teach my younger brother English.

My journey has been long and still continues, but I have learned many things, which will allow me to achieve many things in my personal life as well as in my language learning adventures.