english communication in the usa
Whenever I reflect back to my childhood memories in Venezuela, I remember looking up to my dad. My family and I traveled to the United States during the summers when I was younger, and my dad was the one in charge when we were out of the country, since he was the only one who knew how to speak English. I was amazed at how knowledgeable my dad was of the English language, and I wanted to be as intelligent as he was and learn to speak English as well as he did. I have always loved learning about communication and languages. I enjoy watching home videos of me when I was younger, and I always smile to myself. I would create the most ingenious productions, pretending to be a reporter or an interviewer. In one instance, I made my younger sister pretend to be a famous singer while I interviewed her on my talk show. To this day, I still have an innate passion for being a host on a talk show, and having the opportunity to communicate to a wide variety of people from different cultures and backgrounds.
Although I had an ideal childhood full of creativity and imagination, there was a tremendous lack of educational opportunities in Venezuela and I wanted something better for my future. So, I decided to move to Texas to further my education and expand on my desire to learn the English language.
Moving to another country, to another city, and navigating another language that was not my native tongue was very challenging,
but I learned how to get out of my comfort zone and to overcome adversity. My family and self-determination kept me motivated; I knew what I wanted for my future, even if that meant leaving everything I loved in my country. Unfortunately, I did not do very well my first two semesters in college because I was dealing with cultural shock and a language barrier. I cried nearly every day because I did not understand my professors' lectures. However, I gave my all to every single word that I did not comprehend, even if that meant spending all my free time studying. I remained strong, despite the rejections and obstacles that I faced, however; my bravery wavered at times. When I contemplated quitting school and moving back to my country, I could hear my mother's voice crack and weeping when she did not want to hear me say that I was "not enough." She believed that if I was capable of moving to another country where I did not know anyone, I could achieve anything. Being in an unfamiliar country where I had to experience some of the most difficult challenges, made me love people even more, and learned to appreciate the art of communication. Even though I was not an "A" student, I am still proud of my accomplishments.
Today, when I watch television, I imagine and see myself there in the future. As a Communication major, I want to help people communicate more effectively as the resource to teach lessons to anyone who looked at me and rejected me, because the best tool that we have is our freedom to express our feelings.
After living in Texas for two years, I discovered how much my English had improved when I heard my dad speaking English over the winter break. I realized then that my dad did not speak English perfectly after all, and I smiled to myself. For my entire life, I desired to be as accomplished as my dad, but on that day, I realized that I had done exactly that and even more.
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