They say I was always good at languages.

Maybe so, but I believe learning a new language takes passion, time, dedication, and practice. In the end, it rewards you. My earliest memories of learning English come from my early school years. I remember the long brown hair of my first English teacher. I remember my desk, on the right side of the classroom, away from the window. I remember the feeling of the hardcover book in my hands and the stories about Mike and Dick. My second English teacher seemed like the most exotic creature on this planet Earth. Imagine - he'd come all the way from Scotland to our little school in Lithuania. His fingertips were always white from writing on the blackboard - I could see them well, as I was sitting at the desk closest to him, eager not to miss a word that came out of his mouth.

I can't explain why I got hooked on English from the very start. Today, I can talk about the endless benefits of knowing a language well: from feeling more secure and confident in new places to expressing yourself easily and having a discussion to making and keeping friends. Back then, when I was a little girl, I simply found it exciting. I remember my mom would be washing clothes in the bathroom, and I'd be standing in the doorway, Lithuanian-English-Lithuanian dictionary in my hands, trying to converse in English with her. The more words I knew, the more interesting the conversations became. I remember bringing home the English practice books my older cousin no longer needed like it was the biggest treasure.

It's not just English. I read books written by famous authors in Russian, and I wrote letters to my friends in French. The world seemed to get bigger with every letter written; the friendships got stronger with every letter received. For a little girl, that was a pretty amazing place to be in.

On the other hand, if learning English seemed like a piece of cake to me, learning Spanish was a bit harder. I was older, too, but the same desire to be able to express myself and understand others, to simply be able to ask for directions pushed me to study grammar, listen to beautiful Spanish songs, and simply talk. Practice did make it perfect.

Knowing the language well is a gift. It's one of the biggest ones you can give to yourself. It opens doors; it invites you in, and it surrounds you with love. Vilma speaks Lithuanian, English, Spanish, and French.

Text by Vilma Turlaite

Blogger,

Vilnius, Lithuania