How learning English changed my life

To celebrate 6 years of English online courses, we launched a writing competition and were thrilled with the range of imaginative and inspiring entries. Every piece showed effort, imagination, and personality, making the judging a real challenge. These three stood out for their clear writing and engaging style and emerged as winners.

We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did, and that they inspire you to explore your journey of learning English:

A new voice, a new hope

In 2024, my life changed suddenly. Because of war and displacement, I had to leave my home and my country to start a new life in a new place.

Every thing was difficult, and I felt like nobody could hear us. My native language was not enough to talk to people out side or share what we went through.

Then, I decide to do something new. I started learning English. It was not easy at all, but I wanted to find a way to make my voice heard.

Every day, I practiced. I learned new words, listened to short podcasts, and tried to write my own thoughts.

Whenever I looked at my two daughters, I got stronger. I wanted to tell the whole world about our difficult journey, our pain, and our hope.

After working hard for months, I finally did it. I wrote a simple message in English about our story and share it on social media. For the first time, people from different countries read my words, understood my feelings, and sent kind messages back.

When I saw their replies, I felt so happy and relieved.

English gave me a new way to speak. It helped me cross the wall of silence and share my true story with the world.

Now, I feel that my voice can finally reach everywhere.

Walaa Salamah, Lebanon

Six Lessons I Have Learned from Learning English Online

I started a Master’s degree in Smart urban sustainability which is in English and realized that I needed to improve my language skills.

I was hoping to find a teacher who could give me the atmosphere of an English-speaking environment, someone with a native English accent who could help me think and communicate in English. Thankfully, I found British Council Online. British Council Online has many benefits and has helped me to improve my language skills and become a better student and a more confident individual. Here are six lessons I have learned.

First, practice is very important. In Greece, we have an expression: “Practice in a Mother of all learning”. Every day I spend about 10 minutes doing the online exercises provided by the platform, I often do them during a break from work. They are simple, enjoyable, and help me stay connected with the language. Thanks to this daily practice, I can remember words more easily and expand my vocabulary.

Second, the reading exercises are very well-designed. I am impressed by how carefully they are prepared. For example, one topic was “10 Ways to Be a Good Listener and Speaker”. I kept this lesson in my notes because it helps me remember how I can improve myself and participate better in a conversation. From this lesson, I learned how to become better in my real life and in my relationships with other people.

Third, all the teachers in the A2 and B1 levels (I have participated in both) have excellent accents and create a supportive learning environment. They encourage us to speak without fear. Making mistakes is normal, and every mistake is an opportunity to learn better.

Fourth, I learned how to be responsible, organise my time to be on time for the Zoom meetings. It has helped me become more organised in my daily life also.

Fifth, I like very much the after-class activitie because I can stay with other students from all over the world and discuss the activity or anything we feel that we want to communicate. Sometimes it lasts 10 minutes, and other times it can last one hour. Through this process, I improved my listening and speaking skills and became more confident. By listening to other people talk about their experiences, their lives, and their countries, and by sharing my own experiences, I realised that although we come from different cultures, we are very similar. We have the same dreams and care about many of the same things. This is amazing.

Sixth, an important thing is the use of technology. Of course, face-to-face lessons are always preferable, but at this stage of my life I have many responsibilities. I work and I am doing a Master’s degree, which is like a second job. It is very important not to waste time, and being able to attend lessons from home is very convenient for me.

In conclusion, learning English online has been a very positive experience for me. It has taught me important lessons about confidence, not being afraid to be myself or the others, responsibility, and continuous learning. I believe these ingredients are the golden recipe for achieving my academic goals.

Christina Boura, Greece

Does learning English change the way we see the world?

Learning a new language is not simply about memorising vocabulary or grammar. It can also change the way we communicate, the way we think and the way we understand the society around us, a society made up of people with different backgrounds, cultures, values and ways of seeing the world.

Firstly, English has given me a greater understanding of different cultures and societies. As one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, it allows people from very different backgrounds to communicate with each other. Through these interactions, we can discover how differently people express their feelings, emotions and ideas, even when they are speaking the same language. This teaches us, above all, to be respectful and open-minded. It also reminds us that English does not belong exclusively to British or American culture. It has become a global language, shaped by the millions of people who use it every day.

However, my relationship with English goes beyond communication and culture. I know how difficult life can sometimes feel, and how important it is to take care of our mental health. In my own life, English initially became a kind of refuge. I started by watching films, playing games and consuming content in English. Music became an especially important part of this journey. Some of my favourite artists like Linkin Park, Bring Me The Horizon and Machine Gun Kelly, have been present during some of the most difficult moments of my life. Their lyrics were in English, understanding them became part of my language-learning journey. At first, I often needed translations or had to look up unfamiliar words. Over time, however, I began to understand the emotions behind the lyrics without needing to translate every sentence. English gave me access to something deeply personal: music that could make me feel understood when I needed it most.

This experience also changed the way I understood myself. Learning another language can give us new ways to express thoughts and feelings that may be difficult to communicate in our first language. It can also expose us to different conversations about emotions, identity and mental health. By discovering how other people understand these subjects, we may begin to question ideas we have always taken for granted. In this sense, learning another language can help us look at our own culture from the outside and understand ourselves from a new perspective.

After more than ten years of learning and using English, I can see how much it has influenced my life. Through the British Council, I now feel comfortable and proud of the progress I have made, especially in communicating with people from different cultures.

What once started as a refuge has become a bridge, a bridge between me and other people, between different cultures and, perhaps most importantly, between who I was and who I am becoming.

Thiago Wurster Balbinot, Brazil