On July 7th 1999, I took a test called TOEFL in Damascus Syria and scored 253. Based on the scales back then, I was pretty damn proud of my score as a result of my previous years of studying English.
I moved to the United States five months later, on December 6 1999 to be exact, and I have been tutoring English as a second language for, Gosh, I don't even know how many years now. I also have been tutoring to university students different courses from law, to business, to architecture. Today, as I submit all my transcripts to one of the schools in Los Angeles to start my masters program, I have been told that my TOEFL test is not only old, but also not a computer base test, so I need to retake it.
I explained that I moved to the United States right after I took the TOEFL. I added that my English language in an English speaking country would naturally get better, not worse. That however did not matter, I need to retake the test that I have been tutoring for several years. I don't mind, I am not even complaining, I do not claim that my English is perfect, I just find it after 70 blogs, two English records, a third in process, and damn straight "A" grades for the students I am tutoring, a bit ironic that's all :)
