In-Schools High School ELL Essays
by / Jan 19, 2012
Changing Everyday: The Bilingual Experience
By: Jean
(Home Country: Tanzania)
When I came to the U.S.A, I was already multilingual. English was my forth language. Being bilingual can be very helpful when you move to a new country. I was born in Tanzania, that’s where I learned Swahili. My parents are from Burundi, that’s where I learned Kirundi. Some people around me when I was growing up were from Rwanda, and that’s where I learned Kinyarwanda. Gaining friends, helping others and getting new opportunities in life are doors that are opened once you speak more than one language.
When you enter a new country, the first thing to do is to gain friends. It’s easier for those who are bilingual. When you are bilingual you get to meet new people from other countries. In my English class there are students with four different native languages but we all speak English. This Important because it connects me with people who speak other languages and it makes me feel more included in the class, country and culture. Gaining friends can also lead to a deep relationship in the future, such as getting married and making a family. This shows me that when you are bilingual you can make deep connections with people with different backgrounds, which can lead to a new mixed culture. A new person can have a big impact by helping you get to know people who speak different languages. When I first came here, my friend Jean Marie who also spoke Kirundi invited me in and helped me meet new people. This is important because it made me learn English quickly since I had friends who spoke English very well. It made me feel more comfortable in my new life. Once you are bilingual and have friends, your life becomes easier in a new country.
Being bilingual is helpful to you but it also lets you help others. Speaking other people’s native languages can help them feel more invited. When you are with a person that speaks the same language as you do, it brings you more comfort, confidence and even makes you feel safer. As a bilingual person, you can always help others learn English outside of school. I teach parents sometimes who don’t speak English and I think this is important because it makes me feel valuable, that I’m worth something and that I’m important somehow. Being bilingual can help others a lot, such as translating for them, helping at school with a new student from another country and helping my parents with letters at home. This is important because when I’m helping others, it makes me feel smart. I feel responsible and trusted because what I translate can be private sometimes. Once you are bilingual in a new a country, you can be very helpful to others in many different ways.
When you are bilingual, opportunities in life just become more open, and make your life easier. When it comes to opportunities in life, the first thing to worry about is education. Once you are educated everything else just follows. I want to get an education first before I do anything else. This is important because as a new person in the U.S.A you have to learn English and at least one more language to go to college. Learning a new language changes you forever. Jobs and careers are a second opportunity because once you are bilingual, more jobs and careers are open to you, and communicating between people becomes easier. This is important because when you speak more than one language at work, you feel more helpful then monolingual people because they have to call up a translator when it comes to people who don’t speak English. The third opportunity of being bilingual is it makes traveling much easier and fun. My home languages open a lot of doors for me to travel because there are at least five countries that speak my home languages: Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Kenya. This is important because it helps me gain friends and feel comfortable in a new country quickly. Having people that know you well in a different country is very helpful because you might need them someday. Once you are bilingual, traveling never is a problem.
Learning a new language changes you forever. It helps you gain friends, help others and get new opportunities in life. Being bilingual has changed my life because I have meet people in Seattle from other countries who speak my language and have done what they can to help my family. Language connects you with different people and helps you have success in life.
Powerful Words: Being Bilingual
By: Kim
(Home Country: Vietnam)
“This is depressing,” I thought when I put my first step on this land – The United States. My family and I emigrated from Vietnam and ended up in Seattle last year. We faced a lot of difficulties after we arrived to here. Language is one of the obstacles that I have had to face. Although I had studied English in my country before, I was shocked when I realized I could not understand what Americans said to me. I realized that being bilingual was important so I could communicate, feel safe and free, and learn about American culture. Then I could feel a part of my new country.
If you can communicate with words, you are powerful. Without words, you are locked inside yourself, so being bilingual is important to me. The first time I went to school I could not communicate with other people. It was scary because I didn’t understand what they said to me, and I couldn’t tell them how I felt. For example, when my teacher talked to me, I didn’t understand so I didn’t know what to do. I could not ask or answer questions either so, of course, I skipped the things I didn’t understand. I tried to learn English better and created more relationships in school. I made friends and got some good ideas from them. For example, people here are more polite when they greet and leave by using some common idioms. They usually say, “How are you?” or “Have a good day!” or “Have a good weekend!” We don’t say these things in Vietnam. Being bilingual make me feel happy and powerful because I have friends and do well in school because now I understand the teachers.
Another reason being bilingual is important to me is so my family and I feel free here in the U.S. If we can speak English, we can take care of ourselves. For example, when we went to a store and my mom needed a wrist brace, I didn’t know that word. We had to go to a lot of places to find it because I could not ask for help. Sometimes my parents need me to be a translator for them because of language. We can enjoy some good things if we can read and speak English. We can read newspapers or magazines to learn about things that are good for us and know how to get them or how to apply for them. Being bilingual makes me feel safe and like we belong here.
Learning culture is also an important part of being bilingual. In Vietnam we have a different calendar to welcome the New Year. Usually, our calendar is a month behind the American calendar so when my family moved here, we got two New Year Eves for each year. I already knew what Thanksgiving Day was when I came here. This is a great celebration that I did not have in my country. When I go back to my country, I will share about the culture here. Because of being bilingual, I am learning not only the language, but also the American culture.
I realize that being bilingual is very important to me because I need to communicate with other people, so my family feels safe when we live here, and so I can learn more about America’s culture. Writing down these words is an example of my achievement in learning English. I definitely will never be able to say “thank you” to all who have helped me. In Health Science and Human Services High School, my teachers and my friends are wonderful. They help me learn English and use my abilities. I hope I can do more because I always believe that you never know what you can do until you try to do it. Being bilingual will help me achieve my goals.
