After graduation I have had very few opportunities to be face to face with foreigners and practice English. In 1996 I joined a training program held by the Teaching Bureau of our city, which enabled me to practice a lot. Last year when I went to Jinan to take part in the Psychological training program, I made friends with a black foreigner and talked with him a lot on various issues.

    I think, there should be more chances provided for the English teachers to have access to foreigners. English is basically a foreign language. And it is so changeable. No one knows what kind of words or phrases have been obliterated from the commonly used wordlist and what have been added. What is more, to familiarize the teachers with lively English with foreigners will make them stimulated, which is of vital importance to their teaching.

    I long for such an opportunity. During the summer vacation this year there is a special training program. Some foreigners will be invited to be the trainer. The leaders of our school, however, didn’t choose me to attend such a program. I am let down in a sense.

    I entreated the leaders at our school and those in the Teaching Bureau. It is only now that I have been told that I can attend the training program. It makes me exhilarated.

    I don’t mean to show off my English, though some others think so. I only want to practice. There is still a lot to learn. I am still a long way off a lot of English learners in China and abroad. I am only an English learner and nothing more.

    I wish I could achieve a lot in the training program.