Upon evaluating myself and comparing the day I arrived in the United States of America up to now, I can confidently argue that I have improved my English speaking and writing skills significantly. I remember clearly that my objective was to acquire the ability to speak and write correctly in English. ‘The first day when I arrived in crutches, I could barely construct simple sentences and I had to rely on an Arab Taxis driver to assist me in settling down during my first night in the U.S. in a motel before I could locate the exact location I was heading’(Studying abroad 2012).
I can track my improvement record through the English 101 course that I have been undertaking during this academic year. At the start of the course, I was only equipped with the basic English speaking and writing skills that I had acquired at The Language Company (TLC) center. At first, I was assigned to live with a native Spanish family. Though they treated me well, I opted to move in to an English native language speaking white family so that I could learn pronunciation of English words perfectly (Studying abroad 2012). In my new home, I was welcomed by Ms. Islia whom I hold in high regard for the good treatment she accorded me while I stayed with her family.
My ability to compose and narrate a story to drive a particular purpose can be seen in the essay I wrote about my experience of studying abroad. Going through the paper once again, I get to realize how I have improved my writing skills tremendously compared to back then when I was schooling in Arabia. I now have the capacity to write well-construed sentences that can be understood by readers. In the studying abroad essay, I have narrated my first day experience in the U.S, how I got to settle down and joined the TLC and the activities I undertook to improve my skills in speaking and writing in English. However, I feel like I should learn how to use complex vocabularies. I barely applied them in my first writing assignment on studying abroad.
Concerning the ability to read, select, and use evidence to support my arguments, there is no doubt that I have improved significantly in this area. For instance, while preparing the proposal essay, I researched primary and secondary sources to back my arguments on ways companies can implement an integrated product approach to improve customer satisfaction (Proposal 2012). I have displayed my ability to use evidence by providing graphic images from a variety of media and non-print sources in the IPhone 5 and the Proposal papers.
Lastly, I have made significant progress in the ability to describe and apply appropriate research and writing processes as a group and individually. I prepared the three essays according to the required style format suggested by the Instructor. In addition, I participated actively in the online forums with fellow students throughout the course period. In a recap, though it is evident that I have made tremendous progress during the English 101 course, I still have several areas that I can improve on, such as writing deeply in English language using well-construed vocabularies. The knowledge I have gained will streamline my learning endeavor in the near future when I enroll for a degree course in Electronic Engineering Technology at the Bloomsburg University.
Works Cited
Munahi, Alqahtani. Studying Abroad. Sep 24 2012
Munahi, Alqahtani. The iPhone 5.Oct 22 2012
Munahi, Alqahtani. Proposal. Nov 19 2012
