English makes you feel good

By Tomasz P. Szynalski

If you have read our article "Why learn English", you already know that English can improve your life. It can let you get smarter, meet people, earn more money, etc. But have you ever wondered how it would feel to know English well?

Imagine...

You're at an English class. Everybody is doing an exercise. People are all talking about the exercise; there is a lot of noise. You finished two minutes ago, and now there are people around you asking questions. "What does extemporaneous mean?", "What's the answer in point 2?". You know the correct answers and you help them. You know why they asked your help — because they know you are good. You feel respected and admired. The teacher has noticed your skills, too. He looks at you with admiration.

You're flying on a plane, coming back from your vacation. You see the person next to you reading an American newspaper. Since the flight is going to take a long time, you decide to have a conversation. "The engines are awfully loud, aren't they?", you say. "Yeah. It looks like the airplane may break into pieces at any moment", he laughs. The conversation goes on. You speak easily and you enjoy it. A moment before touchdown, your neighbor says: "You speak just like an American. Your pronunciation, your grammar — it's amazing!" You get off the plane smiling. What a great day!

You're on a bus to school, just like every day. You decide to spend the time reading a few pages out of a book. You take it out. The book is in English. As you start reading, the person sitting next to you looks at the book's cover and notices the English title. The person gives you a long look of admiration and envy. A moment later, some other people in the bus start staring at you. They would like to be able to read an English book, but they can't. You feel satisfaction. You're glad you've spent time on learning English.

You're at an international airport. You walk quickly, and you look confident. You understand all the signs around you, you understand the announcements. You know that if there were any problems you could easily communicate with the airport's staff in their own language. You walk to your gate, thinking how much more difficult it would be if you didn't know English.

You're having a great moment with your girlfriend. You're sitting close to each other, your hand is around her back. The radio is playing a beautiful song. You can understand every word of it. Your girlfriend asks: "What's the song about?". "It's about love, honey", you reply. "You're so smart. I wish I knew English like you do", she says. You feel loved and admired.

Source: http://www.antimoon.com/other/feelgood.htm