Most of the students at Monol academy are from South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam (with Vietnamese and Arabian being the minority). Because of this environment, we can form friendships with different nationalities in the school. Of course, my roommate is my best friend in school. She’s a very cute Japanese girl and is a college student. She took a break from her studies for a year so she could learn English here in Monol. She’s going to be studying in Monol for 9 months.
I was shocked when I heard that she’s enrolled for 9 months! The other students I know study for only 2 or 3 months with 6 months being the longest for them. This is the first time I’ve heard of a 9-month English study! That time period is a really long process. I personally admire it.
Japanese Roommate
Her main purpose in learning English is for her to go to Africa. She plans to become a volunteer and teach African children English. This is her hobby as well as her dream. The girl who loves to dream is actually very serious about life.
Before she came to Monol, she didn’t speak English at all. But now, she knows a lot of words. Her English speaking skills are also really good. She told me that she has been studying English for three months now. It’s a very progressive three months! We spend almost all our free time every day together and we use English when communicating.
Practice, practice, practice!
We give each other a self-supervised study plan and chat for two hours every day. This is so we can exercise each other’s spoken English. Using this, I get to say more words in a month than the usual. Chatting is the best way to practice our speaking skills and increase our word usage. It also helps us get used to the pronunciation and correct grammar usage.
Everyone knows that the most important thing in learning English is having good pronunciation, grammar, and speaking skills. I am very grateful that my roommate and I can supervise and help each other’s progress.
Arab Classmates
There are also two Arab students that I am classmates with. They came to Monol last September 15th. When I met them on the first day, they were very shy. They were 16 and 18 years old. At that time, their English level was 0 because their school in their home town didn’t have any English classes.
Recently, I chatted with them and their improvement really shocked me! From having no exposure to English, now they are easily speaking in the language. They are no longer the two boys as compared to before. Seeing their appearance, they have gained confidence.
They told me that the four months in Monol really helped them improve a lot. The 16-year old is about to end his term in Monol and go back home to continue going to school. He will still continue learning English, but this time he will learn online. Meanwhile, the 18-year old will continue his study in the academy for 6 months or more. He really wants to learn English before he goes back to university.
Studying At Monol For More Improvement
I also have classmates with two college students whom we call 17 and 18 because they are 17 and 18 years old! They are actually classmates in their Malaysian school and both decided to study in the Philippines. Their English level is relatively high! In Malaysia, their IELTS scores are 5 and 6 points. With such high IELTS scores, why would they still leave to study abroad, right?
We are all very surprised! But for them, their English still has a lot to improve from the current level that they are on. They, as well as their parents, have set high standards. In China, parents expect a lot from their children because if they study well they will be able to nice work that can easily support them. So, their ultimate goal is an IELTS score of 8.
They study hard 7 hours a day (classes) and then do their homework in the study area after school. Whenever we talk during meal breaks, they are always motivated to tell me what they learned that day. At the end of their term in Monol, they plan to go to a different environment, Cebu, and continue learning English there. Great people have one thing in common and that is to love learning!
What I can advise is to concentrate on learning a language. For some students, they need to spend more time and energy than other students to learn. Most students left their jobs to study here, including me. In today’s society, living in a bad situation makes us anxious and eager for success that we pay for it. But, when it comes to learning a language, it really is a step by step process (slowly!). So as long as you are willing to settle and learn, the outcome will be rewarding!
Student Ada