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I first started studying English when I was ten years old. The first years of learning a new language have not left any special memories, which probably means English was just a subject among others (now that does not mean school did not interest me!). 
	In our early teens, my best friend and I decided to (try to) persuade our parents to let us go to England and attend a language school during the summer holidays. My parents could not afford to send me to a language school, so I ended up spending three weeks in Kent, where I visited some relatives of ours. Being in England for the first time of my life, with no Swedish speaking person to turn to, I realised that what I had learned during my four years of English studies, was sufficient to understand others and to make myself understood. I also realised I wanted to speak this fantastic language fluently.

Living with the English language all around us, as we do here in Sweden, I do not find it very difficult to understand spoken English. Different accents, such as British, American and Australian English, are familiar to most of us. I often find myself listening to the TV; instead of watching the programmes, I listen to what is said and only read the subtitling when there are unfamiliar words or expressions. Other countries, e.g. Germany and France, dub films and TV programmes before they are broadcast. This is probably one of the reasons their English is not at our level; they are not exposed to the language as we are.
	I did some travelling in England and Scotland last summer and I was fascinated by the different accents. I find it very interesting that every language on this Earth have their individual variations.

English is not the only foreign language I have been studying. Over the years, I have noticed speaking is the skill I find most difficult. Not only am I shy, I am also afraid of making mistakes. Thus, I often remain silent instead of talking, fearing they would laugh at me if I said something incorrect. Much of this fear of saying something incorrect was overcome during the ten months I spent living and working in Leicestershire, England. I found that even if I did not know the correct word or phrase, I could always explain what I meant in other words. The Englishmen were often impressed with my knowledge of their language and that was very encouraging. I left England feeling confident of my ability to speak in various situations.

They had a library in the village where I lived and one of the first things I did was to go there and borrow some books. I have always enjoyed reading, and of course some of the books I read are in English. Reading in a foreign language is a fantastic way of picking up phrases and vocabulary; it all comes to you in a context. I look up new words and expressions every now and then as I read. However, I tend to get fed up if there are too many unfamiliar words that I have to translate; constant interruptions make me lose my patience, and the context.

While living in England, I went to college in order to prepare for my Cambridge Exam. We practised writing in form of short essays, that we handed in every week. My teacher once remarked that my written English was too formal in some contexts, a native speaker (writer) would have chosen a more informal style. She thought we learned more formal English at school, which is true. But I also think it is my own personal style, I sometimes tend to use a more formal language than necessary, even in Swedish.
	I like to write and experiment with different styles. My only problem really, is that once I have started writing - I do not know how to stop. But I think this would be a good opportunity to do so. By the way, the Cambridge Exam, I passed. Personally, I consider it a Miracle.
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