From read to spoken English

As I entered Rio de Janeiro Federal University in 1991 I had contact with spoken English for the first time at the age of 17. Before that I only read magazines (Speak up, Newsweek and Time) and listened to music in English. It was nice to meet foreign students who came to Brazil to learn Portuguese and communicate in English. What attracted more in studying English was the possibility of communicating with people I’d never talk if English wasn’t the lingua franca. Also, English gave me access to language-related materials or any book that I wanted to read, whether it was a novel or a technical book.
Back to college, I was able to read André Martinét and Saussure for my linguistics classes, which gave me a glimpse of what I could do if I mastered English.