3. Memory-related strategies:

According to Rebecca, these strategies "help learners to link one L2 item or concept with another but do not necessarily involve deep understanding" (p: 13). I didn't use this version of memory related strategies because I don't prefer memorization very much. However, memory related strategies are also concerned with learning and retrieving

information in an orderly string (e.g., acronyms), while other techniques create learning and retrieval via sounds (e.g., rhyming), images (e.g., a mental picture of the word itself or the meaning of the word), a combination of sounds and images (e.g., the keyword method), body movement (e.g., total physical response), mechanical means (e.g., flashcards), or location (e.g., on a page or blackboard)" (Rebecca L. (2003) p:13).

I tried to associate certain pictures with their meaning. Whenever I found some unfamiliar words denoting things I couldn't understand fully, I used to search for their meanings via google images https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi&ei=xBgAVbrBO8Kt7AaP8oC4CA&ved=0CBQQqi4oAg. This strategy was very effective with me and helped to associate certain concepts of my L1 with other ones in L2. Searching for the meaning of the word "lodge", for example, associated the meaning of rustic houses found in America with the real pictures of woody houses of Indian Americans.

By using the above-mentioned strategies, I was able to decide the learning style that suits me best as well as organize the learning process in a way that served my aims.

3. Confidence and having positive self-concept:

Since the learners have major responsibilities of taking decisions and self-assessment, they should be confident of themselves in order to proceed with their learning process even when they face some hurdles that try to demotivate them. They should be able to reflect on their difficulties and devise different ways to overcome them. Wenden (1989) suggests that autonomous learners "are not likely to succumb to stress or pressure. If they do find something that brings them anxiety, they will probably find ways to deal with it". They are determined and they have the confidence they need in order for them to succeed. "They know what their weaknesses in the language are and they will try to overcome them independently, or seek out help from teachers or peers" (p: 19)

Being able to escape the teacher-centered methodology taught in my school when I was younger, demonstrates the confidence I had when I made the decision of taking the responsibility of my own learning process. Taking the initiative of letting go of the teacher and depending on my own metacognitive abilities as "gathering and organizing materials, arranging a study space and a schedule, monitoring mistakes, and evaluating task success" were the most important steps towards learner autonomy. Confidence is needed all through the learning process even when the learner feels lost and he needs to set things back on track and that's what happened with me at later stages when I felt lost and didn't know what to do next. The teacher at the conversation club in Linguaphone helped me a lot and guided me towards more websites that I could use to enhance my speaking abilities. There were even some groups on Skype to join if somebody is interested in improving his/ her language. Still communicating with my friends in English through any media (whether on internet or in reality like in the conversation club) took a lot of nerve and nothing stopped me from using the language and achieve my aims in enhancing my listening, speaking, and communicating abilities in EFL.