Bring your tomorrow closer



After several months of preparation, the desire of one day taking the IELTS exam finally came; 24th November was the date chosen to take the test. I had to travel to Quito two days before the exam; I was anxious about the day of the test because, among other things, it would be my only chance to take it.


When I travelled to Quito, I thought about how much time I spent until acquiring the language; how many videos, recordings, posts, and podcasts did I consume all this time? Hundreds of hours, some without the idea that someday my efforts will be worth its costs.


I decided to stop studying while I was and stayed in Quito; there, a good friend gave me a stay in a flat for two days while I was there. Time was clocking, and I started to feel the pressure. Will I obtain the necessary to get a good score? Overthinking was the other side of the coin. However, I decided to rest early the night previous to the test.


When the day finally came, I felt comfortable and slept well. That day I woke up early to prepare my breakfast, took a shower and went to the test centre on foot. I had to arrive before 10 am. When I finally arrived, at least eight people were waiting for the test.


After brief indications, the exam began with the listening part; as I had expected, there were parts which I knew I must be cautious about, I had some silly errors, but at the end of the exam, the listening part was one of the most manageable parts of it.


Undoubtedly, the reading test was the toughest; the first part was a preparative to the rest of the test, a mix of easy and complex questions, the second and third parts were tricky, and the time was something I had to have in mind. The high brightness of the screen made it difficult to read large passages without feeling exhausted.


The writing test was my strong point; I had enough preparation to write fluently and coherently. The only aspect was that the keyboard was in a Spanish distribution. This time, I musted to type without the help of a grammar editor or the spelling highlighter.


After almost three hours, the time seemed to have passed quickly, but I was exhausted; I had made my best effort. There were errors I had to be better focused on, but overall I went out with the satisfaction of having it done.


After a few hours of resting, at 4 pm, I had to take the last part of the test, the speaking part; I was a little nervous because I felt I didn't prepare enough for that part. When I arrived, I had to enter a closed room, inside a mid-age British woman was waiting; the following twenty minutes of speaking were swift; I was surprised at myself; I answered all the questions fluently and with coherence; there were parts which I musted to think before answering it. But overall, I did it well.


After the test, I went out with my friend to visit some of the food locals near, I was more relaxed after the exam, and at night I had to go to the bus station to return to my hometown.


~S.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"OK Boomer"

Image
Working life has introduced me to a whole spectrum of folks, spanning different ages and backgrounds. It's fascinating how age can influence the dynamics within a group. Back in college, my peers were typically within the same age range as me, roughly 20 to 25. But stepping into the workforce erased that age barrier entirely.  In my interactions, I've noticed some distinct patterns. The younger crowd tends to wear their hearts on their sleeves, valuing ideas and relationships above all else. On the flip side, the older and mid-life crew often prioritize climbing the career ladder and accruing material success. Bosses come in all shapes and ages too. Seasoned veterans bring a calm, empathetic vibe to the table, having seen it all before. On the other hand, the millennial bosses I've encountered can be a bit more... fiery. They're quick to react and slow to forgive, making them a bit of a challenge to work with. Sure, millennials might be shaking things up and spearheadin...
Read more

Another trip twelve years later

It has been a while since I finished high school, those were some of the best moments I have ever lived, my high school had a vast surface extension, many buildings and sections, and many classrooms crowded with hundreds of students. There, I studied for almost six years, I met good friends, some love and splendid moments that bring me a smile each time I recall. I never thought I missed my time there, when I was a teenager I swore I'd never turn back my sight to that place, now twelve years later I come back to the place that built me as a person. Last weekend, I had to work as an assistant for the referendum election in my country, as the last time I worked in the same position, I already knew what that job meant. To my surprise, the place was my old high school. I felt a nostalgia mixed with foreignness, I was part of that place for many years, but I felt like a stranger when I came back, many places were stagnant in time. I could visit my first classrooms just to find they were...
Read more

Prioritizing my to-do list

Since I started to document and follow my routine, endless things undone have reminded me that I need to make them time because they are also important. This feeling generates a guilty sentiment and anxiety for not giving them enough attention. But how do I prioritize among many significant things? Doing exercise is important, eating healthy too, studying and applying for jobs are equally important, but what receives more attention? what is not essential? This situation of deciding what requires more attention has put me in a challenging situation. Do I need to sacrifice my exercise routine to study more? What if I focus only on one thing at a time? While I worked my English routine decreased, and my motivation to study too, because as I mentioned before I was putting more time into either working or exercising. I thought I would have more time to do many things when I was younger, but the reality was different. Being an adult means you need to put some dreams aside if you want to avoi...
Read more