Speaking and Listening
If you think that you’re smart enough, you have to look at yourself again, to be confident and to work to improve your weaknesses.
More than the ability to speak English, the speaking course has taught me the most important thing in life: to stand up, raise my head, and express my thoughts confidently in front of people.
At the beginning of last semester, I had prepared a good speech with beautiful words that introduced myself. It has taken a lot of work to write in a creative way. However, when I had to speak what I had prepared, I couldn't say anything. In fact, everything was in my mind , but the link between my mind and tongue was missed as if a cat got my tongue.
"Remember, why are you here?" was the question that motivates me to overcome my fear and weakness. I am here because I have received a scholarship which I have dreamed of all my life. NO, it is not by chance: I am a student of the highest standards with good leadership skills and civic engagement. YES, I deserve it. For this reason, I didn't let the failure destroy me. I have presented a diligent work throughout these semesters; the preparation has helped me to know in details what I should say, and paying attention to my body language has helped me cope with my nerves. Eventually, my presentations were the proof of my progress and achievement.
These presentations have affected positively my intellectual side. In fact, during my preparation, most of ideas need to be proved from many sources. I wasn't able to find a website which contains all the information. This process has enhanced my critical thinking every time I want to figure out whether my idea is true or not.
Here are some of my presentations:
nicola tesla.pptxnescafe.pptxThe most beautiful experience in this course was my presentation on "organ donation". The topic i have chosen was to encourage my classmates to donate their organs. Saving other people's lives is always my priority. Since the topic has touched my beliefs and humanity, I have put all my effort to do surveys, interviews with the National Organization of Organ Donation (NOD), research in order to make my presentation successful. In addition, I believe that words can't do everything alone, so I transformed my words into actions by becoming the first one in the class to fill the online form of organ donation. After all, because the donation won't happen without the agreement of the family and because no one of my family was next to me, a phone call was a must to tell them my intention. The result was amazing; I could feel my friends and instructor involvement. Although I was on cloud nine when I have gotten 92, my goal wasn't reached until some of friends followed my steps and become life savers.
Presentation1.pptxI have used this video as an emotional persuasion.
In addition to Presentations, debates is another method to improve my speaking skills . It has taught me more than speaking skills, but life-long lessons. Indeed, how to be tolerant facing people from different points of view by judging their ideas not them personally. Besides, I have learned the art of debate. It is about how we look at a topic from different perspective so that to know how people would counter my argument. Through the presentation, my confidence has increased because of the initiations that I have made to defend my claim. Debates has helped cultivate my persuasion skills. Every single topic the instructor has taken has increased my knowledge and has opened my mind. Eventually, I can say that I have learned the rules and regulations of a debate that includes the time of introducing my claim, of refutation and of the discussion.
"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen" -Winston Churchill
Reflection on the Enemy of the State (1998):
Living in a world full of violence, the government should establish a high level of surveillance on its citizens. However, this should be applied only for the benefit of the justice. The movie shows how much the government can follow every single action people do such as listening to their talks and record their movements. This allows it to discover the illegal acts, punish the criminals as well as to provide the peaceful and safe state. This cannot happen in all the countries, especially the ones where people are not given the basic rights and services. The government should first provide people with all their basic needs than control their actions, and that is what is happening in the U.S. Although the extreme level of surveillance that is shown in the movie helps the investigation, it prevents the people from the right of freedom and privacy. Thus, they won’t be able to criticize the performance of the politician, nor accomplish freely their everyday actions.
Reflection on Where Do We Go? هلاء لوين:
The movie tackles the story of a village where people from different religions live together normally until the media shows the problems happening in the environment outside. Indeed, it is typically what the media is doing nowadays in terms of spreading hatred and racism. Based on what they receive from media, people started to prejudge the others base on their religion and the community they belong to kill them. In the movie men were the slaves of what media shows and follow what their peers do in Beirut that role while women were more aware than men and were trying to protect their village and their families from the cruel ambiance. The movie reminds the Lebanese people, especially the 2 generations before us, to the civil war which lasted 15 years and 6 months until “Taef” agreement. Our parents didn’t forget what has happened. their memories are the stories of nowadays. They lived very difficult and fearful years. For this reason, after our country took off the dust of war, Lebanese people couldn’t live normally nor accept with great tolerance the presence of other religions. What Lebanon has from the diversity is a rich of culture even though some are fearful from the differences. Thus, I’m afraid of the unawareness of most of the Lebanese people which may return the variety of cultures into serious conflicts. Besides the conflicts between the religions, the movie sheds light on the power of the Lebanese women. In fact, although most of the people underestimate the woman, she proves that she can through her intelligence and wisdom solve huge problems. Even if some may believe that the motherhood limits the skills of the women, the movie is a great example on how it motivates them to do incredible and courageous acts such as changing their religions in order that their men become tolerant and their families are safe. They hide what is happening outside as way bliss way to lessens the danger. This movie is presenting the Lebanese life as simple as it is. However, it is important to notice that the scenes were taken in a small village from many years. Nowadays the life is changing; women are working in the same fields as the men. They are balancing the motherhood and their career as well.
I can easily remember the first listening session with Mr. Joe last semester. It was about the names... I wasn't understanding his american accent. I was laughing all the sessions not because he was a funny teacher, nor the ideas were comics, but because I was understanding nothing. Now, the story has totally changed. I am able to understand native English speakers, English songs, and English movies.
My participation in the Wofford-AUB exchange program was a great experience. It has trained me to complete till the end my commitments. it was an opportunity to reflect the traditions, beliefs and opinions of my society on different topics such as homosexuality, politics, education. I have discovered that their values aren't totally different of ours.
