My Second Language

1273 Words3 Pages

I was not born in the United State; I did not come to America until nine years old. I was not born to speak English; it took me many years to master the skill of speaking in English without an “accent”, yet till now I am still considered not a fluent English speaker. English is not my first language, but it became a major part of my life. This language itself had people around the world, spending extra money and time to learn, it is no exception in Hong Kong. Especially when Hong Kong was under the British Crown rule for more than a century. There are English classes in Hong Kong during normal school hours, but those are not enough for us to become a more “sophisticated” English speaker. Therefore, my parents spend a lot of money and time for …show more content…

The elementary school I went to, including all first grades to fifth grades, there were only less than twenty Chinese children. The school did not have ESL (English Second Language) programs, as a result, I had a hard time absorbing class materials, and getting along with my classmates. Especially during the cold icy winter, the cold breeze running through my face during recess, I felt so lonely, luckily my two cousins who went to the same school with me played with me for the first few months. When class started, no matter how warm the classroom is, all I felt was the chill of nervousness of trying to make friends within the class, and ask for help from the teacher. I learned how to write and read when I was in Hong Kong, but only knowing the language does not mean I will have friends. To non-native speakers, one of the most important things is not how well you write or read; it is how well you understand the culture of the new places you live in. I had a hard time adapting for the first few months in North Andover, it was not because my classmates did not understand what I was saying (with my broken English), it was me who had a hard time understanding the stuff my classmates find funny. I did not get their jokes, movies, cartoon or Hollywood stars they talked about, I did not even know who Britney Spears was until I went home one day and asked my cousin. Everyday, going to school was so dreadful, I thought I would be happy; instead I was so nervous all the time. I would cry at night, or frustrated with my homework, and annoyed by the fact there are classmates who made fun of me. As a result, I studied extra hard in this language, also realized even in writings or interaction with others, culture played a big part. Since I did not have any knowledge of American culture, even though I learned English in Hong Kong, but the level of

Open Document