When I think about my experiences reading and writing, I think of how far I’ve come from when I was very little. Today, I can read large books and write multiple-page essays. But when I was very little, I was just happy if I could read and spell C-A-T. I remember those days when reading just a few words gave me a sense of major accomplishment.

This isn’t to say that those days were very easy. There were times when I would get very frustrated when I couldn’t read or understand a word in a book, or I misspelled an easy word on a test. My family was always patient with me, but at the same time, they encouraged me to keep reading, whether it was for school, or for fun. Not only that, but I still remember when my family would read to me when I was going to bed.

I treasure those memories of being curled up warm in bed, listening to a story, and later on, trying to read a children’s book out loud by myself. I remember the proud looks on my mother’s face when I’d finish reading a full sentence perfectly, and feeling so good that I had made her happy. Writing was also a lot of hard work to master. It’s hard enough trying to make sure your words are spelled correctly and that the string of words makes a sentence that makes sense.

But there’s also proper grammar; nouns, verbs, adjectives, subjects, predicates, that make writing just as complex. I look at my old papers from when I was young, and see mistakes that make me cringe. But I know that I learned from those mistakes, and that made me a better writer. So, all in all, while reading and writing may be difficult at times, one always can feel proud of how much they’ve learned from when they were little.

Nonetheless, the memories of how it was difficult to cope with people who used complex words in my presence are still fresh in my memory. It reminds me of how I would sometimes feel small and miles away from learning perfect English. Thankfully, I never gave up with myself. In fact, I would sometimes note down the complex vocabularies that sounded good and referred them later from the dictionary when I was alone.

Most importantly, the issue that compelled me to work hard on my literacy learning is the fact that literacy skills are not only applicable in learning set ups; but even in the contemporary life as well. Perhaps, an individual’s literacy skill is the core determinant of how he/she will live and relate with their counterparts. On that regard, seizing life opportunities is also a part of that. Just a reminder of how my literacy journey was full of twists and turns, there was nothing that seemed more complicated like pronunciation of English words. Interestingly, there was a fine time when I used to pronounce “KNIGHT” in unarguably weird manner because I never omitted letter “K” from the word.

Consequently, I also had difficulties in drawing a line of distinction between formal language and informal language. I wonder why people around me never understood that I was still cultivating my literacy learning because they looked surprised when I used certain sentences or words under particular circumstances. Furthermore, sometimes it was funny that I used direct translation in my writing and my friends would make fun of me. Nonetheless, whichever kind of people stood by me to foresee my literacy learning or those who made my situation difficult I am now proud of myself. Thankfully, writing and reading has now won a better part of me.