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<title> Weaknesses and strengths, a background. </title>
My English education started in the fourth grade, with the standard read and writes exercises. At this point I hadn't even learned to read that well in Swedish yet. So as predicted I started to lag behind. I did not do the words that were given in homework nor did I prepare that much for the exams. If it weren't for my friend and his big brother, which both loved English movies and songs, I would have given up English as a lost cause. Every time that I went to their house I was bombarded by English, if it wasn't on the Television it came from the stereo. They were always talking or singing along. So at the lessons I tried to keep up, even though I thought it was boring. It wasn't until when I started the Gymnasium that I began to see the point in learning English. Our new English teacher was a sweet old lady who keep on discipline but had some new ways of teaching. We watched short news flashes, and had to explain what it was about, we got to read books and write short essays about them, we had small group discussions, which she would sit in on. We did lots of fun word games and other stuff. 
	At the same time I made a new acquaintance, a school friend who loved to read English Fantasy and Science fiction. He loaned me some books I read them and then I was hooked. So I started to read English literature and have done so ever after. So the consequence of all this is that I am real good at understanding the context in writings, even though I might not understand every word in it. I tried to look up words in my dictionary, but I wanted to find out what was going to happen in the books, so I started to use the dictionary less and less. At one time I was going to read a book in Swedish and it took almost 30 pages before I got into reading and thinking in Swedish. It is always better to read in the original language.My present vocabulary isn't that big and varying. When I'm writing I often know that I want another word, but I can't quite specify the word I want, so I have to settle with a similar word than the one I want instead. It also happens that I know what word I want, but I'm not sure how to spell it, in those instances I also write a similar word that I know how to spell to. So what happens then is that I can't make my meaning perfectly clear and I get a little frustrated, but that I'm used to. Also due to my unusual interests I have a little strange vocabulary, which contain seldom used words, and some old English words. When I write I try to stay with British English, but as almost all media that I consume is American English, my English tend to switch between British and American. Which can be annoying, but hopefully not disturbing. 
	When it comes to listening I have a slight disadvantage. I have a small hearing problem that is only noticeable when people talk fast, may it be English or Swedish it doesn't matter, the words float together and I have trouble hearing. If I hear dialects then I have trouble in the beginning until I understand their patois, and that can take awhile. Standard English is easiest, both British and American. People who talk quiet are also difficult, because they tend to speak quieter and quieter. But as I said normal speaking people usually aren't a problem as long as they speak in normal tone or start speaking in technical terms.Speaking has always been difficult for me. I rather listen than speak in a conversation. I really like listening. I only speak when I believe I have something to contribute with or when I must. I don't like speaking to strange people, but I do it when I must. You can't live in a society without speaking. I have problems with the lisping sounds in English and long complicated words are a nightmare. If I have to repeat myself I usually mispronounce them the second time, get flustered and then I have to start over again. But I know that speaking is important in learning a language so I speak with the foreign exchange students that are members in my Student Nation. It is good practice, both verbally and socially.
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