I was the guy who didn’t love English at all. It was always my lowest grade in school and university. I had no passion for it, and the people around me didn’t care much for English either.
Everything changed in 2018, during the second year of my master’s degree. I started liking the language but had no idea how to speak it. I watched YouTube videos about grammar and tried enrolling in English courses in Baghdad, but none of them felt right for me.
After defending my master’s thesis in March 2019, my love for English truly began. I started watching more videos and practicing writing, but speaking was never my focus. My pronunciation was terrible—I couldn’t distinguish between words like live and life, and I struggled with sounds like P (which doesn’t exist in Arabic). The worst part? I thought I was already good at English.
Then, in May 2019, everything changed.
I randomly joined an English-speaking session held by volunteers in Mutanabbi Street, Baghdad, where people gathered every Saturday to practice English. I felt confident—I believed I was a professional speaker. But when they asked me to introduce myself and talk about my life, I completely froze. I had no idea what I was saying.
The only thing I could say was:
“I am Atheer, and I am a water resources engineer.”
That was it.
I was embarrassed and shocked—younger people around me spoke fluently, expressing themselves easily. I felt like I had been living under a rock. I just wanted to go home and forget about that painful experience. That night, I couldn’t sleep.
I told myself:
“Atheer, you have two choices—either accept failure or start from scratch.”
Starting from Zero
I chose to start my journey.
I committed to attending the Saturday sessions every week, even though I felt miserable at first. I kept watching videos, trying to find a way to practice speaking, but nothing seemed to work. Then, in May or June 2019, I stumbled upon a website called Speaking24—an online English chat platform.
It was a treasure for me.
I started talking with random people every day, then moved to another website called Free4Talk. I spent hours speaking with people from different countries. At the same time, I was watching YouTube videos non-stop, slowly building confidence.
Then came COVID-19—a blessing in disguise.
With Iraq under curfew, I had nothing else to do. For 3-4 months, I followed a strict routine:
✅ 6-8 hours of watching English videos daily
✅ 2 hours of speaking with people online
This daily practice transformed my confidence in speaking. By 2022, I became an English tutor and even started attending international gatherings.
English didn’t just improve my professional life—it shaped me culturally and mentally, exposing me to new ideas, books, and global perspectives.
Final Thoughts
“Everything is achievable as long as we put in the time and effort.”
My journey started with failure, but persistence turned it into a success. If I could go from freezing in a conversation to teaching English and attending global events, anyone can do it.
Never underestimate what daily practice can do.