Being The Embodiment Of The Average Introvert

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.

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

Being a Mexican-American, who was raised in the small town of Encarnación de Díaz – located at Los Altos de Jalisco, MX, – and then moved at the age of seventeen to Corpus Christi, TX, was not a smooth transition. The most difficult things I have encountered in my life must have been speaking a new language and adapting to a new type of living. I was fortunate enough to have amazing teachers who taught me to read, write and speak in English back in Mexico, but I was still not confident enough to speak the language when I arrived here. Although, many have told me that my English doesn’t sound as if I just moved here five years ago, I still believe I have so much more to learn.

The article "Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan is insightful because she shares the struggles of growing up as a bilingual Asian-American, where in her home English wasn't the primary language. She expresses the challenges she faces in her life growing up hearing her mother using broken English. Amy Tan can speak fluent English she proves this by starting off her writing by explaining the first time her mother heard her speaking in the English she doesn’t use at home(Amy Tan, 20 ). She grew up using the limited English that was inherited from her mother. Amy Tan was ashamed by the “Broken English” and how people view her mother, but She then learns to accept her background. The author's goal is to show the audience that when it comes to the perception of perfect English there should be no boundaries because everyone has their own understanding of what perfect English is, based on mother tongue, that shapes their perspective on the world. She supports this throughout her essay by giving several examples of how everyone viewed her mother's English as broken or fractured. Although Amy was ashamed of her mother's "Broken English," she viewed it as if it was normal. Growing up in America for a person who is not fluent in the English language can be hard because they are discriminated against, their ideas are viewed as imperfect and they receive low expectations from others.

It was not until freshman year in college that I realized how problematic my shyness and introversion had become. At Monmouth University, I was fortunate enough to be accepted in the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) program along with 39 other students. As a part of this program, I attended a five-week seminar during the summer. Not only was I receiving six credits, but I was also engaging in activities to sharpen my leadership and social skills. After the

My parents came to the United States 19 years ago with two young kids in their arms. While neither possessed a high school diploma and both spoke non-fluent English, they had the determination to work more than 50 hours a week to make ends meet. In a way, I believe that I have inherited their determination in order to achieve my goals in the face of adversity. While I was growing up as an Asian-American student some of the struggles I faced were a language barrier and sometimes even discrimination. Later, in my academic career as a first-generation college student, I had fears of the unknown and the unfamiliar.

When I arrived to the United States I faced a challenging situation in my life, I didn’t know English. This challenging as I didn’t know how to communicate with any of my teachers or classmates, and I wasn’t able to do any of my work. Not being able to participate in class upsetted me because in Mexico I was use to doing all my classwork and homework. Therefore, I decided that I was going to do everything in my power to learn English quickly. So, when the my ESL teacher announced to my parents that they were going to have to take to school during the summer, I didn’t mind at all. When I was in summer school I learned a lot of English due to my determination and my hard work. Looking back I wouldn’t do things differently because I know that

When people hear the word introvert, they usually think of someone who is quiet, shy and keeps to themselves. The word introvert generally has a negative connotation associated with it, but Susan Cain argues in a Ted talk called “The power of introverts” that being an introvert is actually a good thing. In her argument, Cain uses ethos, logos, and pathos to appeal to her audience and this essay will analyze how she does so.

I was forced to come to America at the age of 13, knowing only Spanish. My junior year career was not pleasant because of that factor. I started off with four classes that were meant to teach me English. I was distraught and confused. I left my friends, my dad, and my life to come here. I was not comfortable at all. I felt alone, but I was not alone, there was another 12 students with the same obstacles as me. Now at the age of 18 I am proud of what I overcame and I can truly say these three strategies assisted me while overcoming my obstacle, Lifelong learning, develop mutually supportive relationship and believing in yourself.

Coming from a foreign country where english is a second language, I didn’t know how to communicate. How was I going understand the information in school? How will I create new friendships without speaking? All these questions plagued me. As I sat quietly everyday trying to avoid making a sound, hoping not to get called on to answer a question or speak out loud in the class, I was trying to make clear of what these people were saying. I realized that just sitting there and listening wouldn't help me better speak English; I had begun trying to speak english with my father so I can become more fluent. After months of dedication, I was understanding and speaking a language completely different to mine. That was by far the most difficult

I have always looked over my parents, i’m still teaching my parents English to this day. I was forced to grow up quickly and help my family. I so badly wanted to learn English because my parents had put me in a regular school where all the other students were American and since I couldn’t speak the language, I was ignored by the other students. To me this was especially hard because in France, I had many friends. I remember going into third grade not being able to read, but by fifth, I had worked so hard that I had read all 20 books in the reading

On September 1, 2012 I moved to Virginia, United States. Many can say that, but to me it is one of the greatest things I have done in life. Being born in Puerto Rico, an island in which Spanish is the main language, the wish of learning English was constantly in my mind. As I grew up I started to take English courses in school; however, the courses were not as effective, since I only learned the basics of English. Later on after graduating from sixth grade I was enrolled in a bilingual private school. The fact that the school was mostly in English and that it was private challenged my learning even more than in a public school. Although the school was a great one, I was doing badly accademically. It wasn’t until the school year was over that I decided to move to the state of Virginia in order to begin with my journey. A journey in which I learned many things from life and because of this experience I am preapared to overcome anything that comes between me and what I want.

After arriving in the United States, things weren’t as wonderful as we had planned for. Coming to such a unique place in the world was a blessing, but it brought many obstacles to me and my family. It was truly one of the greatest obstacles I had to face learning a new language and getting used to the American life. Getting placed into the ELL program made me feel like I had to work harder than everyone else just to get simple things done. I was made fun of due to the lack of my abilities in speaking English. This only pushed me to work harder and become the best that I can be in everything I do. One thing that stayed the same was the level of support my family members here in the U.S. were able to provide me with to help me get through the

There are many psychological disorder that people suffer from. Some psychological disorders may be worse than others but all of them are not easy to handle. One disorder that many undergo is major depression. Major depression is no joke, it can impact a human’s everyday basic routine. This disorder changes a person in a bad way.

“We have self-centered minds which get us into plenty of trouble. If we do not come to understand the error in the way we think, our self-awareness, which is our greatest blessing, is also our downfall” (Joko Beck). In Chinua Achebe’s fictional novel, Things Fall Apart, the main character Okonkwo illustrates self-centerdness as well as numerous other flaws which bring him towards his downfall. However, he demonstrates that he is well respected in the beginning of the novel, as well as accomplishing a high status. Okonkwo adheres to the qualities of a tragic hero as he begins the story as a noble leader where he is honored for his manliness and work ethic, but his constant struggle to rid himself of his father’s legacy as well as his overwhelming pride leads to his tragic downfall.