Month: March 2024

I moved from Puerto Rico to Florida as I started the fifth grade.  I attended a bilingual classroom in an otherwise English-speaking elementary school.  Students from all grades filled that classroom; I sat next to other students with a kaleidoscope of accents from other Latin American regions.  I was lucky to land in that classroom, since I failed English when I studied it in Puerto Rico.

Moving to Florida overwhelmed me with all the cultural differences, especially in school.  I no longer wore a uniform to school.  I spoke an entirely different language.  We took a break during the middle of our lessons, in a bizarre ritual called ‘recess’.  I mingled with other kids during recess, and I started to learn English in a conversational setting.

Continue reading “Patriotism or religion, pick one.” →

In my infancy, I learned to speak Cantonese at home with my family; I spoke it before any other language.  As I grew up in Puerto Rico, I next learned Spanish.  While I officially learned it in the Catholic school, a block from my home, I also learned it from talking to the locals and watching television.  My parents ran a restaurant, and we spoke to the patrons in Spanish.

As I turned ten, we moved to Florida.  While I studied English in school in Puerto Rico, I failed that class.  I learned English out of necessity when I arrived in Florida and dove into the public school system.  Similarly, I learned through speaking with neighbors and watching television.  Learning a language through a classroom environment lacks the real feel of the language.

Continue reading “Counting your chickens before they hatch” →