My Language Learning Journey… Krystian Duda
Credit: Krystian Duda
In this ‘My Language Learning Journey’ interview series, you will learn about the mobility experiences and advice of English learners across the globe. For this third interview in the series, you will learn about the English learning journey of community member Krystian Duda.
Like with the previous article in this series, I met the interviewee in an English Community Speaking Session. Our interviewee, Krystian, is from Poland and is actively working on improving his English proficiency. In the interview, he shares his experience and motivation behind learning English and tells us about his mobility experience in Spain.
Let’s hear from Krystian now, shall we?
Could you please share a bit about yourself with the community?
My name is Krystian, I’m 19 years old, and I’m a student at a technical school in Poland. After I finish school, I would love to work in logistics while studying on the weekends. Next to being in school, I’m also learning English because speaking English is very valuable for my future career ambitions.
Have you ever had a mobility experience? If so, what did that look like for you?
Yes, I had a mobility experience when I worked in Spain in the city of Malaga. During this time, I worked in a warehouse for two weeks, 4 hours a day. In the afternoons, I explored the city with my friends from school, who were also on mobility there.
This experience was quite chaotic at first; there was a problem with some documents I needed, and not speaking the same language as your coworkers requires some adjustment. But after a while, it went more smoothly as I learnt to communicate with my hands and feet, and the work got done.
Was there anything that stood out to you during your work experience?
What I noticed is that the local people I worked with valued the social aspect of work more than I’m used to. In Poland, we learn to actually focus on the work itself. For example, if your job is to carry boxes from a warehouse to a truck, then the goal of your workday is to carry as many boxes as possible as fast as you can. In contrast, while I worked in Spain, my colleagues were also resting and chatting quite a lot during the workday. Also, the lunch break was long when I compared it to Polish culture.
Did you learn about any other significant differences during your stay?
It’s fascinating to me that in Spain and in other countries, so many people rent an apartment. At least what I’ve seen around me in Malaga, that seems to be the case. While in Poland, from my experience, practically everyone owns a property. Typically, that home is even built by themselves, their friends and their family members. As a result, people in Poland tend to be quite skillful in building things because they learn by doing from a young age.
That is fascinating! Thank you for sharing! Now, let’s switch the topic to language learning: when did you start learning English? And what was your motivation to start learning the language?
I started learning English in elementary school, but unfortunately, my teacher wasn’t that good at the time. Now, my motivation to learn is mostly to create better business and career perspectives.
What techniques and practices do you use to study English?
I started by reading books and other texts. At first, it went really slowly, but after a while, I started enjoying it. Now, I read English books for pleasure. A major milestone was when I read the book ‘Dune’ by Frank Herbert. It was an amazing experience! I read the book before in Polish, but it was much better in English.
I’m now trying to get more experience in speaking English. I’ve noticed that however much you listen to or read English, you don’t get to a higher level until you regularly practise speaking. That’s also why I joined the OLS English community speaking session last month because it’s a great opportunity to practise speaking.
How do you look back on joining that speaking session?
It was very helpful overall! It was nice because even though many people signed up, we were in a small group in the end. That way, all participants got enough time to practise speaking. I would recommend it to anyone, really!
What advice would you give to someone who is just starting to learn a new language?
First of all, you need words, not grammar. When I first started learning English, I had a problem with building sentences because I didn't know enough English words. I started learning English by just reading and listening, but I would highly recommend starting with learning words and practising speaking from the get-go.
We’re nearing the end of the interview, and I have two questions left for you. Starting with ‘if you could dream big, what does your future look like in 5 years?
Ideally, I’d like to live in Poland because all my family and friends are there and I enjoy the country itself. Moving to Germany ‘in between’ to work and make some money first before I move back and settle in Poland is also an option I’m thinking of.
Are there any final words you would like to share with our community?
English is easy once you get going, so don’t give up! :-)
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First of all, a big thanks to Krystian for sharing his story! I hope you, as a reader, will take some helpful insights from this interview and Krystian’s journey. If you would also like to be interviewed as a part of this series, you can let me know via this link or by writing a message in the comments below!
Warmly,
Marieke, OLS Community Manager – English