It was long time ago when a man looked at me and said are you from Derna. I knew that having a new acquaintance like that would be great. What I could not think of is having that story written. It began in 1979 when both of us were students in the ‘Faculty of Arts and Education’ in Beida. Many esteemed academics were there to teach and to witness the birth of an academic dimension. They paid him considerations. They knew his mentality that was distinguished with absolute consent is going to be a reality. In fact, we felt all of that from the very beginning when we shared some subjects together. That acquaintance proved every good principle. Many others benefited positively from that figure who always said that the real enthusiastic force should be present about our English. The man of consequences tried his best to pave our ways as we were still new students. He insisted on us to have the courage to speak openly in order to improve our English without any hesitation. He activated the feelings of challenge inside every one from Derna to take the lead. That was the slogant which he had to fight for. Therefore, lectures were more than perfect for the time being. By planting the seeds of challenge, he was counting on us in proving that we deserve to be ‘English Department Students’. Some of us were stunning in the way they participated inside the class. For authenticity, Abdullah M. Kahail (the English teacher) was a clear example of the ideal English student at that time. In a sense one may believe in the existence of chemistry between people ... to be continued.
By me
Ahmed Attia H. Elimam