You are Never Old to Learn!

Public Speaking Class, The University of Cambodia.

Knowledge is like the bridge that crosses people to one side. Imagine a bridge, on one side of the bridge, you are curious, you want to know the answer to the question you have been pondering? And then once you have the answer to your question by a knowledge base that you have taken your time to research, you have a cross to the other side of the bridge where now you are wiser because you know the answer to your question. 

            People can get knowledge from anywhere, from your parents, from your girlfriend boyfriend, husband-wife, from the people you meet, the stranger on the street, google it on the internet, from the library, your friends, school. The brain never says no to the new data which you want to store. Not only children or adult can learn to get knowledge but also older people can learn. I always say to myself, “I am never too old to learn.” “Have you ever thought that you are too old to learn?”

Sample

Ladies and gentlemen, when I was in high school, I did not know English but I wanted to learn. It was hard for me to decide whether I should learn it or not because I thought that I was too old to learn. Most of my friends could speak and write but I did not know how to write in this language. My friend told me that, “If you want to learn, you will have to start learning with young people and you may be the oldest one there.” “Don’t worry you will not be made fun of,” “I don’t think you look like a grandpa.” After I heard that I look like an old man, it was very difficult for me to decide to study English. I did not want to study with 10 years old students, I feel so embarrassed, what if a 10 years old girl think I am cute, and she asks for my phone number, what am I supposed to say to her? What if she comes up to me and says, “Hi, grandpa, I think you are cute, you wanna go out with me? If you don’t, I will cry and I will tell mamma on you.”

       

Researching lessons at UC Library. 

   I decided to register in a private English School. When I register on the first day, most of the students are younger than me. I was a beautiful receptionist, she asked me in English, “Hello! How are you? What is your name?” I did not understand her, I think she is asking for my phone number, so I gave her my phone number. I was looking at her dumbfounded because I did not know what she had said. I did not understand anything she said. She smiled at me. She had a big mole on her upper lips. Every time she talks to me, I kept looking at her mole, and I thought it was a booger sticking out of her nose. She asked me, “What is your name?” On the registration form, she wrote down my name. The form was written in English but it was translated into Khmer so I replied to her question. She was so pretty, and the big black mole was bothering me I was losing confidence, Em…….BUNNA! Everyone in the office was laughing at me. She said, “Ooooh! That sounded so cute,” I sounded like a girl, and the receptionist said that I sounded just like a little Cheewawa dog. I was very nervous and my face becomes red. After that, she spoke in Khmer, I could understand her and she told me when the class will start.

Sample 

             Most of the students in the class are very younger than me. Five minutes later, I saw a white skin tall man of about thirty-five-year-old coming to class. I stoop up quickly and smiled at him in order to respect him as a teacher but I was wrong, he was a student, not a teacher. He smiled back, sat next to me and gently touch my right hand. I felt so gay!! He said brother, you look handsome, I want to go out with you. What is your phone number?” I told him, “Are you crazy!! Brother, I come here to learn English not to go out with guys “Yes!” “Yes!” He replied I like a man who means and bad. I asked “Don’t you think that you are too old to learn? He answered with a smiling face, “No, I don’t, I am only 8 years old. Why do you say I am too old? You should look at yourself in the mirror, how old are you, grandpa?” He asked me. I said to him, “Shut up.” If age is preventing me to learn English then I will never learn English, I need to stop thinking about age. Age is nothing but a number. I realized that you are never too old to learn. I say to myself, “I am not too old to learn.”

Ladies and Gentlemen, age is just a number. It cannot limit you from learning. Developing our brain every day is very important. The key point to becoming smarter is to read, read and read and then go to school to get your degree. Another key point is, we should ask more when we don’t understand, don’t be afraid of what people may think of you if you ask. Some people think that if I ask a dumb a question, my classmate might make fun of me. So they don’t ask and remain dumb. I say to all of you, asking makes you smart because when you don’t know the answer to a question, you should ask or else you will remain dumb. Not only we should ask more but we should learn to research on our own more whenever we don’t know. No one can bring knowledge to you. Only you can bring knowledge to yourself. Only you can design yourself to become a smarter person. The more you learn the more you know. Again, you are never old to learn!  

Written by: Vann BUNNA, a year one student at the University of Cambodia. 
E-mail: bunna7kh@gmail.com 
Edited by: Powpees Bredends Lek, a director of the Student Development Center

Good Luck in your life!