Deep Valley Of Despairs : Mountaintops Or Deep Valley Of Despairs

A lot of incidents happened along the way of learning English as a second language and many of them are rather funny than made me in trouble. What I was doing was foolish and I had to change how I see my new world and Adapt to it. I had to force myself in order to start making new friends and learn more about the American culture. I had a lot of good neighbors who helped me pass that period of my life and made it a little easy a comfortable to speaking in English. They guided me and encouraged me to speak more and never be shy again from my language and accent. Yet, I am still working to enhance and improve my language capabilities to be much better in the future. I view this phase of me learning a new language is a work in progress instead of learning something from the beginning. I am keeping a note next to me all the time, and whenever I hear a word or phrase that I don’t know, I write it down and I keep repeating it again and again until it sticks in my mind I become confident when I use it.

“Mother Tongue” is an essay by Amy Tan that examines the ways in which people treat those who do not speak or act like them. Simply, how people perceive those that are different . The main purpose of “Mother Tongue” is to inform the readers of the ways they might intentionally or unintentionally be treating people who speak broken english as Tan’s mother does. This essay highlights the extreme importance of language and how it connects with everyone’s day to day lives.

I started watching English news, movies, read magazines, read all sort of English related book like, “English learning For Dummies” and suf internet for online English Tutor. Having a ELL teacher help me through my hard time helping me to learn English and doing good in school. After knowing how to speak and communicate in less than 2 months my life had become much easier. Now I am being able to communicate with people not that fluent as then can but try my best to speaks fluent as them and be able to make new friends. Also I am a helping hand to my parents as they do not know how to speak English. My sister help me a lot because she was older then me and was better than me in English so she help me through my study . Now slowly adapting the American style of living in some aspect of my life. English was a very challenging language and I had a very difficult time learning it, however, my hard work did pay off when by the end of first quarter my GPA was

Firstly, I was really poor at speaking English. When I go through the gate for foreigners in airport in USA, the officer said to me "Do you have food in your suitcase?". Of course, now I can see his point but then I couldn't understand what he said and I was confused. So it took a half hour to get the gate since I landed in the USA. And fortunately, I finally reached the International English School, FLS but I couldn't follow their class. That's why I study a lot more than other students. Nevertheless, I couldn't feel my English was getting better. I was struggling with the situation. If I would love to communicate with other students or native teachers,

The phrase "all suffering isn't equal" can be understood in a myriad of ways. The idea of suffering can be different depending on a person's mentality or even the conditions they live in. An example would be that a person with an adequate living environment can complain about eating the same type of meal for a whole week, while for an another person who doesn't not have that luxury, may be suffering from having no food at all. While everyone suffers, it is how they are suffering that divides our true understanding of it. Connecting to the book, this phrase relates to the differences on how both the rich and poor can suffer. In Mountains Beyond Mountains Paul Farmer believed that poor undeveloped countries didn't receive the best medical care

The first and second year after moving from China to the United States, I was afraid to talk to strangers because my English was not quite well. I had to depend on my husband to deal with my personal business, such as making a doctor’s appointment, calling to the bank, or questioning the DMV officers. Douglass says, “being a slave for life began to bear heavily upon my heart” (62). Being a dependent and helpless adult is a shame for me. In addition, I did not have extra money to go to school to improve my English skills. Thus, I stayed home all the time to avoid the embarrassment that happened when I did not understand strangers’ conversation. Meanwhile, being silent at home leaded worries to my future. I realized that I had to improve my oral English to gain self-confidence. I spent time reading various articles on the internet, and I watched English dialogues’ videos on YouTube. As a non-English speaking immigrant living in the U.S., I challenged myself to overcome difficulties to integrate myself into a new

Ever been in a situation where you were the only person who couldn’t understand a specific language? Ever been in a situation where you felt no one could understand you? Do you remember how it made you feel in that moment? Imagine feeling that way all the time; alone, isolated, and misunderstood. Jimmy Santiago Baca and Maxine Hong Kingston do a great job of conveying these feelings in their articles. In the article “Coming into Language”, Jimmy Santiago tells his story as a troubled young man who never saw the value in reading and writing. And in the article “The Language of Silence”, Maxine Hong Kingston tells her story as a first generation Chinese American who struggles with speaking English. As for me, I’ve always struggled with

A typical childhood consists of a child having two parents; a mother and a father, or two fathers, or two mothers, whatever the situations maybe. My childhood wasn’t typical, my childhood consist of one single parent, my mother, with the occasional glimpse of my father, but that was rare. My mother played a significant role in my education and how I communicate with others. You see my mother immigrant from Cuba to America and was unable to speak a word of english but she came anyway with her Heart open and her mind ready to learn. Thanks to reruns of ‘ I Love Lucy’ and Oprah; my mother was able to learn english but it was “broken” as Amy Tan would put it. Amy Tan’s essay “ Mother Tongue” discusses the many difficulties that she and her mother have face with her mother's “broken” english; which seem all to similar to my mother and me. It was like we were one in the same. Tan points out the prejudices and culture racism that immigrants are forced to endure without showing aggression or even acknowledging the reader of it. Tan is able to criticize our culture standards and expresses how we have double standards for English speakers.

The day I stepped off the plane and landed in America, I knew that I’d have to face a great challenge. Being a first generation immigrant from Vietnam, I would have to learn English as quickly as possible. Although I’ve arduously prepared for this transition by learning basic vocabulary and grammar in my native country, I quickly realized that my practical aspect of using the language such as listening, conversing, pronunciation to be insufficient. By immersing myself in an English-speaking world, I finally addressed my lingual deficiency within a year.

Learning English seemed impossible; I felt I would never be able to understand or speak it, but I was determined to learn the language and get

As a first generation immigrant, everything is new here; new culture, new language, and a new society . I think the most difficult thing I have faced in the United States is the language. Learning a new language is not that easy, but language is the most vital key of being success, and it is also an important key factor for communication. I was afraid of speaking English because I am afraid of making mistakes, which had made me to become introverted or even feeling depressed during the first year in the United States. But after a year long study in high school, I have realized that, making mistakes is fine as long as I am able to express what I want to say, as mistakes and failures are also the keys to success.

I immigrated to the US with my family six years ago. At that time, we had a hard time adapting to the new environment because of the new language and the differences in culture. During the first few weeks after I started school, I felt really frustrated at myself as my inadequate english skills were not good enough for me to communicate with my teachers and peers. However, my parents were the ones that suffered the most. The language barrier made it difficult for them to find jobs and get through their daily life tasks. I still remember vividly that one time when my dad and I went to a pharmacy to pick up his medications. He struggled to communicate with the pharmacist and recieved juding stares for his broken English. For the first time in

In the narrative essay, “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, the author sets out the story between her mother, whose English is her second language, and Tan herself can speak native English very well. The essay covers the tonal shift of Amy Tan 's psychological change, from grudge to understanding. Although she begins the essay saying, " I am not a scholar of English or literature. I cannot give you much more than personal opinions on the English language and its variations in the country or others." The essay uses personal narrative and pathos to tell us that language is not the only key to communication. But sometimes, people use it as a tool to measure individual value.

Over the past four years since John started school in Australia his level of English has improved a lot; especially his receptive use of the language. John is a talented language student and is achieving great results in both additional languages he is studying at the moment, English and Japanese. Due to his cultural background John does not volunteer to speak freely during class. This makes it hard for his teacher to find the degree of depth of his understanding of new concepts learned in class. However, he is a passionate language learner and his focus is to perfect his knowledge in both additional languages.

Learning English will always be one of my greatest achievements and proudest commitments. It has graciously opened many doors for my future and has given me the chance to construct a better lifestyle for myself; it made the path of life a more straightforward walk. Although I often feel jealous of my cousins, and occasionally desire the life they have in Racibórz, moving to Scotland was a gift, a one in million golden opportunity, it has awarded me with chances you get once in a life time and has made my life differ from those I was meant to stay with. It has made me experience adventures, often including sudden ruptures of anger, like a bull with a red cloth, but also bursts of happiness pouring down like rain, striking my existence like a thunderbolt of lightning. Scotland has altered, adjusted and remodelled my identity, changed my perspective of life and has given me the chance to grow up with two cultures, two ways of living. Yet my relatives know only one. They may try to comprehend my reality, but won’t ever understand. Scotland was a turning point in my life, a fresh start, although it caused me many years of emotional strain, I survived. Now, I walk with a pride, as I have two anchors, to places to always call