My Journey to English Literature Yes, I do write English works and it was not an easy journey. Nung nasa elementary ako, way back before high school, di ako reader. As in hindi talaga. I skipped preparatory school and I didnt know how to read. My Wawa (lola) hired a tutor para turu-an ang kawawa nyang apong magbasa. I learned it the harder way compared sa mga kaklase ko. I had to stay behind after class kasi may tutor pa ako. Those were the days that I felt so little and ashamed of myself. Pero I tried my best. I eventually learned how to read, but only to pass the reading exams. I never read a single fiction book. High school came. I was introduced sa Silent Reading program ng school namin wherein every Monday, at exactly 11am, everyone is obliged to read an English fiction book (school personnel, teachers, students) for one hour. Nung una, Tagalog lang binabasa ko. Tinatago ko lang behind an English book. Ayaw ko kasi sa English books noon kasi limited lang vocabulary ko. In short, nakakadugo sa ilong. But the school knew better. Dinagdagan ang task namin after Silent Reading. This time, need na naming magpasa ng book review. Eh di naman puedeng puro Snow White and Sleeping Beauty lang ipasa ko, diba? Kasi yung mga stories lang na ganun ang alam ko. Kaya napilitan akong magbasa ng English. Humiram ako ng Heidi na book. Note: childrens book xa. Aba, natapos ko! I was inspired! So kahit na nakakanosebleed ang English, humiram ako isang Hardy Boys na book sa library. Natapus ko ulit! Hanggang sa naubos ko na lahat ng Hardy Boys sa library. This time, medyo confident na ako. I tried other books na pasok sa age group ko. It continued to be like that for years and all those times, lagi akong may dictionary. And if wala naman, I was still able to understand words na unfamiliar from the way the sentences were constructed (honestly, I still use this technique and it still works!). By the time I reached 4th year high school, marami na akong nabasa. Pati PHRs di nakaligtas sakin. Lahat din ng Filipino stories such as Ibong Adarna, Florante at Laura, Noli and El Fili ay binasa ko ahead of time sa required deadline. By that time din updated na ako sa Harry Potter series, nabasa ko na rin ung Jumper (yes, years before it was made into a movie and yes, it is way better than the movie), naging tambayan ko ang library, marami na ang books na naconfiscate sakin, natapos ko ang Mythology book, naamaze ako sa gods and goddesses, atbp. Then I was introduced to a different level of English literature na never kong natry na galawin dahil sa takot ako at dahil I thought na pang lolo or pang tatay lang cla na story. Binasa ko si Dan Brown at John Grisham. And oh-my-gulay I loved them! I still do! Though I didnt understand a lot of the technical stuff Grisham mentioned in his courtroom dramas, I still enjoyed his stories in a different level. By the end of the school year, I graduated as the nerd girl at the back of the room who reads old men novels. College came and I discovered more writers. I stumbled upon Mitch Albom, Paulo Coelho, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, WP Young, and many others. I finished all Narnia books, Percy Jackson books, read a LOT of historical romance novels (and mastered reading English works that have Scottish accent!), learned to hate Twilight though I was initially smitten by it, isa ako sa mga nagreklamo sa ma books turned into movies, and finally I was able to get the courage to finish my own story. I didnt post it on the internet just yet. I did it after I graduated. Now I read books, most of them in English, because I am no longer afraid. I can always find a tattered dictionary and search for the meaning of the words (but I prefer thesaurus), or I can always consult with pareng Google. By this time, I have read countless of books by countless of authors. I still struggle with reading, especially with authors like Paulo Coelho and Lao Tzu whose works I have to painfully and carefully read in order to understand their deeper meaning. By this time, I have read classics by Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, etc. Yes, I still have problems with English words but that doesnt stop me from reading them. Because people, there is a vast world far beyond wonderful in the English world of literature.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 14:57:53 +0000
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