Most people hate the year 2020.  I would not discuss on their reasons. I would not judge them, but this is a fact. Of course, many people lost their businesses, many people died, many people lost their jobs.

I am grateful that it was not the case for me.  2020 was even my favourite year so far.

People would say: “because you got married this year”. Sure, that is one of the reasons, but the most important reason is that this was the year when I could be really proactive face to the situation.

2020 was a new beginning for me. The three previous years were tough. In 2017, I had to close my company AIR Connector because I lost more than 60 million Ariary. I was sexually harassed; I was betrayed by my collaborators and I committed suicide (long story!). In 2018 and 2019, I still learnt to re-live, and it was hard to get out of my comfort zone. During the last quarter of 2019, I spent a lot of money going on holidays on my own and with my family. This was what I chose to do to be happy.

When I came back to Tana, I started a work plan. I started to work hard. Buying a car was part of the plan and I did it. The car was for rent. It was a collaboration with my dear brother, and we could make money together.

I kept on praying that Covid-19 would not reach Madagascar, and I believed it could not.

I will always remember the 20th of March 2020 when President Andry Rajoelina announced the first cases in Madagascar. I was overwhelmed with worry and fear.

Here are the lessons I learnt:

• Sometimes you do not need to find motivation, but it will find you.

I used to drive a small Atos. The car I bought was a Kangoo. I never wanted to drive it on my own but with my brother or with my boyfriend (who later became my husband). But once I heard we would be locked down, and when nobody was available, I took the car, drove to Anosibe and bought everything I needed for at least one month.

• We can be part of the solution.

On the 21st of March, Harinjaka Ratozamanana, the great leader, contacted me to be part of his initiative “Hackoragnavirus”, a Hackathon that gathered many people from all over the world aiming at bringing solutions to fight against the virus. That was a great fulfilling experience!

• We do not have to physically meet to be able to do great things together.

COVID-19 taught us the importance of online jobs. It is possible to do simultaneous interpretation while wearing pajamas. Just make sure the camera is not on.

• When your current offer does not satisfy the demand, create another offer, or create the demand.

AIR Communication, our company, a woman-owned company provides translation and interpretation services. Unfortunately, we had limited demands due to the crisis. Yet we needed to pay our bills. While using my Facebook account and pages, I suggested other services like online English teaching, article writing and virtual assistance. I was always busy. And those have become part of our services now.

I met my boyfriend in February 2020. He is a student completing a Masters’ degree in Nuclear Safety and a musician. During lockdown, none of us could make enough money. We decided to re-sell Ravintsara Essential Oil. As we wanted to look professional, we create the page “Ma Santé” (meaning “My Health”). We made lots of sales per day; and we understood we had great online selling skills. Ma Santé is still operational now with other pages, but all under our new company AIR Connector.

Oh, I forgot, and we got married in October 2020. To end, I love 2020. Each problem is a business opportunity!

English is an Anglo-Frisian language brought to Britain in the 5th century AD by Germanic settlers from various parts of northwest Germany. Due to Great Britain’s expansion during the colonial age, it has become commonly spoken in many countries all over the world. It is the official or co-official language of more than 50 countries. It is the second most spoken language in the world as it is the native language of around 400 million people and the second language of 300 million people. That is the reason why when people with different language meet, they use English to communicate. It is part of the United Nation’s official languages, so it is used in most high-level meetings. It is not surprising if people who speak English are more privileged when looking for a job.

Apart from that, English is the language of business, science, innovation, aviation, computing, diplomacy, media industry and internet. That is to say that in order to have access to several important information, we need to master this language. Furthermore, this access to information is one of the keys to development. In my opinion, English is a must for everyone during this era of globalization. It should be taught from the kindergarten and should be a mandatory subject for all classes. We should stop thinking that only those who choose the literary field need English. On the contrary, to excel in science, you need to know English. This language opens opportunity for all and should be taught all over the country.

It is encouraging that some schools are teaching English to their students from the primary school and that several centers provide English classes. Many are those who find innovative ways to make students love and learn this language. Unfortunately, not everybody can take advantage of such opportunities. But it is never too late. It is high time you started to learn English. There are multiple ways to improve your English. It is up to everyone to choose.

As practice makes perfect, the best way to be good at English is to use it regularly. That is why traveling in an English-speaking country is among the best ways to master this language. But this is not a must. Many are those who have never been abroad but are fluent in English. You can practice at work during meetings or conference calls, in classes, in English clubs, or just in an informal setting. Reading also helps a lot. It will help you learn new words. Even fifteen minutes a day can improve your skills. And of course, listening to English speeches or news.

Busy people often say that it is never possible to set a time to learn English but are never able to do so. My advice for those people is: Keep doing whatever you have to do every day but just do it in English. If you have to read a book, find its English version. If you have to watch a movie, find the English version of it and so on. There are various learning materials you can use online. You can listen to podcasts on your way to your workplace.

When there is a will there is a way. If you really want to learn it, you will find time for it. Keep practicing and do not afraid to make mistakes.   Again, I encourage every single one to learn English as nowadays, it is a must for all.