Coming to the ELC

     A memorable event may generate different emotions. For example, when a baby is born their parents will probably feel happiness and love; perhaps their father will be scared, but in general, they will have positive feelings. There are sad memorable days such as a death of a dear uncle or bad news about political problems in countries. There are distinct types of memorable days, but what they hold in common are the feelings. In my case, a specific, important day was my first day at the ELC (English Language Center). My first day at the ELC was a mix of enthusiasm, fear and confusion.

     My first day at the ELC was full of excitement. I woke up at 6 AM, took a quick shower and ate a delicious breakfast. After that, I excitedly walked for 40 minutes to the ELC. I was new in Provo; therefore, I knew nothing about busses or other kinds of transportation. When I got to the ELC, it was encouraging because I could learn English in a good school with interesting resources. I felt confident that I would improve my English since it was my main goal. Another reason I was excited was because I would get the opportunity to make new friends from different countries. It would be a great moment to learn about other cultures and customs. In brief, my first day increased my new experiences, but all things can be summed up in one word: exciting!

     Another type of feeling I felt was fear. I was very scared because people, teachers and Mrs. Sandy were talking with me and I could not understand anything. The other reasons included the LATs test and information about my level. The cause for this discomfort was simple: I never had taken an important test like the LATs before. It was a new challenge and became more appalling when I knew that the test's results would influence my level. It was important for me, since I wanted to work on BYU campus and to achieve that goal, I had to get at least a Foundation C level. Therefore, these were the reasons for my fear.

     The last feeling was confusion. I never felt so lost. I was not in my country, there was a different language, new people and food, and a foreign culture. Almost always the streets, buildings and places looked alike. Indeed, I felt like a fish out of water. I could not understand the people or approaches taught at the ELC since I had just studied English by videos, bad textbooks, and even worse courses in my country, such as online courses with many mistakes. As a result, I had a hard time understanding.

     In conclusion, my first day at the ELC was memorable because I could feel a mix of feelings at the same time. Sometimes our lives are marked by a mix of events, some are happy and enthusiastic others are scary and confusing. However, we need to have a positive attitude and recall that there are good times and they come with patience and hard work. These kinds of experiences can then help us to overcome challenges in the future.