I can still remember how funny it used to sound that I could hardly speak English even though I was  four and was attending one of the private schools. Thanks to my journey to South Africa I can now speak English as if it’s my mother’s tongue. My parents always insisted that I learn to speak English, as it’s one of the most widely spoken language in the World and perhaps the only way to communicate with different people in different countries.

It all started when my father who worked with the Nigerian Red Cross was nominated as a delegate to South Africa and he has to take me, my mother and my brother along with him. I couldn’t really speak English but I can understand. I spoke mostly Hausa. On getting to South Africa I was enrolled in a private school. I can still remember the first day my parent took me to my new school everything was foreign to me everybody around me was speaking English and I could not understand nor reply. It was scary that I started to cry because even the teacher was not the same color as me.I cried for a whole week each time my father dropped me off at school. Then it started to happen. Thanks to my teachers for their support, I felt comfortable day by day and started picking words each day .I learned new words and practiced at home until finally I could communicate clearly in English.

Though I am back in Nigeria , now a days I  hardly speak my mother’s tongue.  I feel more confident to face the world now. Indeed my stay in South Africa Changed Everything for me and I am no longer shy of speaking in public.