English and I

I’ve been learning English since I was 12 years old and the total time that I’ve spent using English is approaching to half of my life. English as a matter of fact, is becoming my main language to work and enjoy my life. At this point I cannot imagine my life without using English, the language of my heart and soul. I would call it as my “adoptive mother tongue”.

I used to study English to work in America and I moved to the US about two decades ago. At that time I made a great deal of effort to improve my English pronunciation and business English skills. I practiced hard for a very obvious reason.

Now I have no problem doing business in English. At times it is easier for me to read and write in English than in Japanese. For one thing there is no viable spellchecker that works well in Japanese. Moreover, I don’t know much about the latest Japanese slung and colloquial expressions.

So you might think that my days of learning English are about to end. Actually that’s not the case. To the contrary I really want to learn English more! I want to read English literature (Geoffrey Chaucer, Walter Scott, Jane Austen, etc.), increase my vocabulary, and improve my writing skill.

I’m not interested in methods to learn English quickly any more. Those are not appealing to me. I just enjoy learning English and discover a new side of this amazingly expressive language every day. English has a special place in my heart just like programming does. I wonder how I could’ve been without English and programming.