When I was in China, English was always my worst course, and it is the same now. It used to be because I was not interested in it, but now it is difficult to overcome the grammatical conversion between Chinese and English.
When I first came, I really didn’t know anything about English. The only thing I can remember is the 26 English letters and a few of the most commonly used words, such as he she me. When I first came, I lived in Flushing , there are more Chinese people, so didn’t feel any hard with communication. but when summer ends , once I stepped into the school , I felt as if I had come to Mars and could not understand anything teacher nor students said . But fortunately, there are Chinese students in the school, and it happened that one of my classmates lives next door to me. I would often go to his home after school and study with him. He helped me a lot. At the beginning, we would recite words together, and then after the vocabulary got up, we practiced spoken English, watched the news, learned other people’s words to practice pronunciation, and gradually improved our English level.
Discovering Outlets for Literature
At a young age my teachers had introduced me to reading and writing. Right away I decided that this is something that I resented with a passion. I found it to be very complex and difficult for me to comprehend. As years passed I started to acknowledge all the different forms of reading and writing. I’ve never particularly been a big fan of sitting down and reading a 500 page novel. However, what I did enjoy was story mode video games. It’s amazing how a video game, something that is considered childish, helped me praise forms of literature. It reminds me of how human beings get connected to books, and how it makes them feel so many different emotions through the simple art of words. One of the games that have completely changed my perspective of writing is The Last of Us. Reason being, it possesses different writing components that cause the player to feel as though they are in the character’s shoes. I am forever grateful that video games were presented to me because it proves to me that other individuals who also don’t enjoy sitting down and reading a book will also have an outlet that helps them find their own way to expand their comprehension skills. In addition, I’ve also found that word play and expressing how I feel on paper is something that is not in my skill set. However, my girlfriend who has always struggled with her mental health, found that journaling is something that helps her heal and connect with her inner self . Witnessing how writing has helped her wellbeing makes me appreciate reading and writing as a whole.
The Road to Language
English is thought of as a major language, a must-know to most of us. It doesn’t matter where you are from, what cultures and backgrounds you come from, here in America we all speak English. The same goes with other countries, they have their own language and their ways of communicating. But somehow America, especially New York City, is well known for its diversity and variety. We hear people speak different languages and see that they come from different places yet, some of us come together and manage to communicate. Also, everyone here in New York City gets the opportunity to learn and succeed. Knowing this we can relate to how we learn through education and learning. As kids, we attend public school, which is the most diverse and open way to get to know others. We come from different parts of the world and come together to learn the same language and have the same education. Having a diverse class prepares us to look at different perspectives and ideas and helps us be more creative with our learning. In the end, It is up to us to find our path and go our separate ways, only to come together and contribute all of the knowledge we have accumulated to build a better future for everyone in this world.
Outside of school, food can be another important factor in how we communicate in a language we understand. Here in New York, food plays an important role and can even be considered a language. As a document on the internet states, “Food Culture incorporates our ethnicity, cultural heritage and provides a mechanism of communication with others both externally and within our families and communities.” Food is important to all of us, and when we make a dish that has a lot of meaning to us we make it in a language that only we understand. But once we share, we all end up understanding, just like a language we all start not knowing.
