Not too long ago I moved to America, and with that, I can confess that I have a lot more similar experience to Tan and Lyiscott. When I moved to America I faced certain challenges due to how fluent I wasn’t in the language, I knew something but I could keep a conversation going which made me this type to not speak because I knew people would always keep the conversation going which would involve me speaking a lot more and I hated that. With the experience Tan said in her story, I haven’t seen myself be in that current situation but I have seen people and by people I mean my parents undergo the same experience she talked about. Being around my parents for this while I would say had a little impact on me due to how I Was always around them and they sometimes spoked to me In English and with their language being “limited”, I later not too long ago found myself being in the same state of speaking like them. This makes what Tan said about what sociologists and linguists said about “A person developing language skills are more influenced by peers” so true.

At some point in high school, I got laughed at and it was based on how I talked and expressed my thoughts. I didn’t mind because I knew I could speak two different languages that are, the one I spoke back home and the one I am trying to adapt as my new culture. Sometimes we may not come out with a good sounding English but that does not make us too dumb or arrogant to not be able to say something or express how we feel. Sometimes as Lyiscott said in her outspoken poem, “So I may not always come before you with excellency of speech but do not judge me by my language and assume that Iā€™m too ignorant to teach cause I speak three tongues”. I don’t usually worry about what people have to say about my language or how I express myself because I know two or more languages so I see that to be a big flex. If I can’t pronounce a language I am trying to learn but can speak and understand the meaning and the culture behind my language, I could care less.