In response to questions about how, when, where, and why students have learned English and used English in their pasts and how they are learning and using English now, the 2013-2014 FMV through Writing students created their first essays of the year. They worked through the entire writing process: pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing/proofreading, and, on this website, publishing. Enjoy their writing and consider how and why you have learned English and how and why you use this global language.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mercy Jallayu
September 10th,
2013
Finding My
voice class
English in My Country and In America
As a child, I did not worry about
knowing English, because living in a village I did not care or think about the
importance of English. I felt free speaking Krahn (my native language) because
that’s what everyone around me spoke, and I was marvelous at it. Starting
school as a little girl and seeing other kids speak better English than me was
when I started to worry about speaking English. My journey as an English
speaker was like a heavy storm.
Having an uncle who was also one of my
teachers wasn’t pleasant. On every school day, in the morning when the chicken
crows and I’m still figuring out if I should wake up or not, my uncle would
splash me with cold, painful water that would make me cry; it was painful
because I hate for people to wake me up especially with cold water. My uncle
would make sure I got to school and in class before he would let me breathe.
When I went to school, my uncle helped me with English, so I would get better
improvement. When I was in class, we always learned our ABC’s, and we had this
book we usually read; sometimes we sang the words in the book to remember what
we have learned. When I came from school, my uncle would make me do school work
and practice more English, such as my reading, and also review the spelling
words he usually wrote on the board.
English in my home country was something
most people spoke. Although we spoke English back home, it was more of street
English, also known as Pidgin English. We got most of our education from the
street because most people didn’t and still don’t have money to go to school or
put their kids in school. Therefore, they learn from the street, speaking wrong
grammar and so on. Ninety-nine (99) percent of things are in English. When you
go to the store, school, movies or anywhere, the signs would be in English,
such as the signs on the board telling the name and the price of the items in
the store. In Liberia, my family and I spoke both English and our native
language. I was the one struggling with English the most because I was living
in the village with my grandparents before moving to the small city called
Zwedru with my mom and my sister. The
school I was going to in Zwedru was a big school and everyone spoke English but
also had their native languages as well (we had different tribes). We played
games in English during lunch because we didn’t speak the same native language.
In my country, you have to speak English to make some new friends and it was an
everyday thing.
When I came to America, that’s when things
started to get rocky. I stayed home most of the time. I didn’t want to go out
or go to school because I was anxious of people laughing at my English. When I
went out, walking, I couldn’t understand the signals; so I watched other people
and followed them. I didn’t have many friends because I couldn’t speak English
or know enough English to communicate with people. Likewise reading out loud in
class was very difficult for me to do but it was something I had to do because
the teacher asked me too. Sometimes when I didn’t know a word some students
would just stare and the teacher would be waiting for me to pronounce the word
instead of helping me, knowing very well that I’m not good at reading. As time
went by, I got used to the signals and reading out loud.
Sometimes I feel delightful speaking English
because English is almost everything in this country. English can take you far
in life because you can help others and yourself. You can defend yourself when
you get into problems or anything. Sometimes I wonder where I would be at right
now without English. English is something I learn everyday. I enjoy speaking it
because now I can understand most of my subjects. My life is easier because I
can now associate myself with people from different countries. Life for me is
going to be better in the future because with my English I can get into an excellent
college or universites and get a wonderful paying job.
Speaking English in my country was easy
even though it was spoken incorrectly and English in America is hard, but I’m
learning correct English. In Liberia, we used a lot of slang. For example, we
would say, “Wa wron wit you” instead of “what’s wrong with you.” “I na know” is like saying “I don’t know’’. I
still speak that way sometimes but mostly in my house or when I’m with my
Liberian friends because it’s easier. English in my country and in America is
wonderful because I can communicate with people from my country that can’t
really understand American English and I can communicate with people that don’t
understand Liberian English. I communicate with people from two different
worlds with the English I know now.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment