Danny Singh, born and raised in London, but now based in Rome and Canterbury, gives creative English language lessons and teacher training courses all over Europe. He also offers stimulating monthly presentations on language related issues at Rome’s biggest international bookshop and has his own YouTube channel which contains a series of interactive English video lessons. He is author of two books, “I was a happy man...then one day I came across Laughter Yoga” and “Learning English through the mind and the body” and is currently working on his third book, “Life is full of surprises”. He regularly attended Pilgrims TT summer courses as a Guest Speaker. Email: singh_danny@hotmail.com, www.laughnlearn.net  

www.youtube.com/channel/UCA2CFTD27Yw6Lf7kOW0PbOQ/videos

 

The first time

Everyone talks about the first time, the first time you do anything is always the one you remember, probably with more affection, more pleasure, or quite simply, the one where you remember the most details. The first toy, teddy bear or doll you receive as a young child, the first book you read. The first day you go to school, the first friend you make, the first time you ask someone on a date, the first time someone answers with a yes. The first time you sleep away from home, the first holiday abroad, the first school trip, the first important exam, the first time you perform in front of an audience, the first crush you have on a teacher, the first time you go to the cinema, theatre, concert hall or attend some sports event. The first part-time job you get, the first full-time job you get, the first time you get sacked, the first home you move into when you leave your parents, the first house you buy, the first car, motorbike or scooter. The less positive events in our lives are the same, the first parent we lose, the first friend we lose, the first serious breakup in a relationship. The list of first-time events is endless and as we go through life, one of the things that I most appreciate is when I do or experience something for the first time. And somehow, because it’s the first time, it lingers in the memory for much longer.

 

Which time?

At one of the many talks given by the late and great Mario Rinvolucri (the father of humanistic teaching), he posed what was for him a problem. One of his colleagues had asked him about a book and if and how much he liked it. Instead of simply replying in what would have been a relatively normal way by saying that he absolutely loved the book, thought it was OK, but nothing special or that for some reason he even disliked the book, he answered the question with a question of his own. Which time are you referring to? The first time I read the book, the second time, the third or even the fourth? How many times do you need to read a book, I thought? At the time, I considered this a classic Mario making controversy out of nothing approach. However, a few years later, I think I began to understand what he was getting at.

  

The second time

In 1993 I saw the first film of a trilogy by my favourite film director, Krzysztof Kieslowski at the cinema. The trilogy was entitled, “The Three Colours” and the first episode was called, “Blue”. In 1994, I saw the second part, “White” and later that year the final episode, “Red”. At the time of watching, I thought they were absolutely brilliant in many different ways and from there I started going through all of Kieslowski’s films, including many interesting shorts.

Exactly thirty years later, these three films were restored and shown again at the cinema. Although I had seen all three of these films more than once, having seen them again on TV, on DVDs and even clips on YouTube, I hadn’t seen them for quite a while, so I thought I’d pop along and rewatch these great films. The films of course didn’t disappoint. I knew the plot, exactly what was going to happen, had remembered most of the story and so enjoyed reliving this experience. However, there was one big difference. These films were thirty years old, set thirty years ago when the world was a different place. I was now thirty years older and had gone through a wide range of experiences in those passing years. This resulted not in any difference in terms of my appreciation of the films, but more in my interpretation, in the idea of what was optimistic compared to what was pessimistic, what was real, romantic, illusional etc. Emotionally, it was also quite tough, as it brought back memories both good and bad of how I was in that period, how I thought and what I believed in compared to the present day.

The first book which really had an effect on me as a young reader was a book written by a German author called Erich Kastner. It was called, Emil and the Detectives. There were hundreds of other books that I loved of course, but this was the first book that I remember not being able to put down, even when being called for dinner. What made it so fascinating? It was an adventure book about a boy who with his friends strived to solve a serious crime that had been committed, while also trying to avoid some dodgy criminals. Aside from that, I’m not sure what else kept me pinned to the book in such a strong way. Many years later, I found myself following a German course online where the teacher insisted on using texts from a book written by, yes, you’ve guessed it, Erich Kastner. It wasn’t the same book and as I was reading it in German and trying to translate it into English, it was a totally different experience. However, I did notice one thing. I absolutely loved the humour in this book. This led me to find a copy of Emil and the Detectives with the idea of rereading it to see what effect it would have on me now, many years later.

Up until now, I still haven’t found the courage to do so. Might I be afraid of discovering that the book is not as good as it was when I read it with different eyes in the past? Or perhaps it could disappoint me in terms of the plot. I won’t know until I do eventually reread it, but in any case, what I know for certain is that my reaction to it will be different to what it was when I was 11 years old, just as my reactions to the Kieslowski films were. I now know where Mario was going with his apparently controversial question about which time are you interested in, the first time I read it, or another. The same question can be asked about music and songs. A song that you loved in the 1980s might still have a positive effect on you now, but will it have exactly the same effect and draw the same emotions? Similarly, you might find that a song which you didn’t like many years ago is now actually much more appealing in some way.

Try rereading a book that you loved from many years ago, a song that you loved in your childhood, a film that gripped you a long time ago and see what effect it has on you. In some cases, it will be a strong emotional experience, but it demonstrates that the second time is always different.

 

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