A student experience of the Prime community
I found Stairway to English through a facebook publication, I saw that there were free English classes in the Comuna 13, Medellin and I did not hesitate to attend. I wanted to learn the language and from the first class I felt as if it would take a long time, however the teachers volunteers and students welcomed me in a very beautiful way and from the beginning I was motivated to lose the fear of speaking in a way that I know isn’t correct and in that way I could learn.
I found it was something more than a few English classes, it was something bigger, there were foreigners in Comuna 13 doing volunteer work and wanting to help to give something back to the area and show appreciation.
Without a doubt in the three months that I have been attending classes I have learned more English than in eleven years of school because this is direct and different interaction. It is the opportunity to enter into conversation with people from the other side of the world who do not judge you because you know little English and who love your desire to learn. From that I have learned more than language knowledge, I have learned about culture, customs and different projects that make you dream big things, I have started to believe more that everything is possible.
In August 2016, with our teachers we started to plan to give a walking tour of our local community to share its history and culture with foreigners and to practice and develop our English. As a result our initiative of the guided tours in English to foreigners who want to visit the Commua 13 was born. This has been rewarding because they enjoy the tour very much and are astonished by the projects, many say they will return while others have stayed to continue to help with this process, it is definitely going to keep growing, every month we are more and more students and volunteers and there is something new to learn around every corner.
Thank you Stairway To English and thank you to the volunteers who dream with us and believe in us through true transformation.
Sulay Pino
estudiante, volunteer, storyteller