What I Learned in Free English Class

One and a half years ago, I arrived at LaGuardia airport in order to start my new job in New York. Although I had studied English in my home country, Japan, I was really disappointed when I realized how difficult it is to communicate with New Yorkers in English. They spoke much faster than I expected; it seemed difficult for them to catch my English with a Japanese accent. Even ordering a sandwich at Subway was not so easy for me at that time. Needless to say, to work in English was a hardship in my life. Since I had to improve my English, I decided to learn English at the New York Public Library.

I learned English in the class. To be honest, I did not have high hopes for the class, because it is free. I thought the class would be easygoing. However, when I first joined the class, I realized my understanding was completely wrong. The teacher prepared lessons very well. In addition, all the classmates had a strong passion to learn English. They spoke up proactively in the class and took notes diligently to learn by heart. Every class inspired me very much. The class reminded me of the pleasure in learning, which I had forgotten.

I learned the purpose of learning English in the class. I had learned English in junior high school, high school, and university. In Japan, English was one of the subjects to learn, like math, chemistry, and history, rather than a means of communication. Without English, I did not have any trouble to live in my home country. However, I could not do anything without English in the New York City class. At first, I could hardly follow what classmates said. This made me sad. Then, I aspired to understand what they told me and to tell them what I thought. This strong motivation made my English improve. Six months later, I could not only learn culture, habits, and international matters in English, but also enjoy discussing them with classmates. English had changed from merely a subject to a way to expand my world.

I learned diversity in the class. Usually, the students are from about 15 countries. Although we all have different backgrounds, mother tongues, cultures, habits, and ways of thinking, we respect each other very much. The conversations always inspired me a lot, which I had never experienced in Japan. Sometimes we had the same opinions on the topic, and sometimes we had completely different points of view. However, we needed no single answer, because we learned about diversity. On the way back home from the class, there were numerous people from all over the world under the brightness of Times Square. At first glance, it looked like chaos. Today, what a precious view it is! Thanks to my classmates, I found the most famous site in New York is a symbol of diversity that makes New York New York.

Whenever I opened the door of the library, I encountered something brand-new in my life. This class has dramatically changed my life. I am most grateful to all teachers and classmates for everything they enabled me to know.

It is almost time to go back to Japan, where my family and friends are waiting for me. I learned a lot from the fantastic class in one and a half years. During this period, I was wondering why such an excellent English class is free. Absolutely, this class is worth a lot of tuition. Now, it is my turn to let you know the answer that I finally found. This class is not “free,” but “priceless.”

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Author portraitKenji Matsumoto, age 38, is a post doctoral research scientist. He was born in Osaka, Japan, and arrived in the United States in 2018. At the New York Public Library’s Riverside Branch, his teacher was Michele Persaud and the site adviser is Stephanie Burnes. He would like readers to know, “I wrote this essay in order to express my profound appreciation and gratitude to my teachers and classmates.”