As a Hispanic person living in a completely different culture from my home country, Peru, I have learned many life lessons. In order to be able to do almost anything, I had to know the English language. When I first came to this country in February 2023, I was living in Massachusetts, and I only knew a few words in English. I couldn’t even properly pronounce the words that I did know.
I was terrified when communicating, and the fear became worse when I had to go to school three months after I’d arrived. I had many worries going through my head:
“I’m probably going to be all by myself the whole year.”
“How am I supposed to learn anything if I only know how to say ‘Cómo te llamas’ and ‘Cómo estás’ in English?”.
Things like this didn’t let me sleep, and I became more frightened as the “hell day” was drawing near. When that first day came, I thought I wouldn’t make it through the whole day. But my mom and dad took me to my new school, and before I entered, they told me, “You are going to be fine. The language is not going to be a problem. You are going to learn it in less than a year. Just be yourself and don’t let anyone make you feel less. If something happens you know we are here for you.”
Those words filled my heart and motivated me to go in. When I did, I could feel everyone staring at me. I felt my body freeze and my brain vanish until three Hispanic girls came running up to me and introduced themselves. The moment I realized I wasn’t going to be the only Spanish speaker was a pleasant relief.
As I am an introvert, I only spoke with Spanish speakers and didn’t dare to practice my English by speaking it because I was scared to feel judged. When I realized that I wouldn’t get anywhere if I couldn’t speak English, I installed apps like Duolingo to help me learn better, and I also started putting more effort into my English class. Towards the end of seventh grade, I was moved to the advanced level, where my English improved significantly.
I did 6th and 7th grade in Somerville, Massachusetts, which has a large Hispanic population, so it was a great experience. Most of the teachers knew Spanish, so the classes became easier for me. They were very patient and supportive with me.
For 8th grade, I moved to North Providence, RI, and English became easier to learn because I heard it and spoke it at school in my everyday life. I had few problems with my classes, and if I did have them, my friends were always there to help.
When I moved to Lincoln for 9th grade, on my first day I was scared that I wouldn’t fit in since I didn’t know anyone, but then, when going to my classes, everyone was so kind and welcoming as well as the teachers who helped me through my freshman year, always reminding me that they were there for me. My counselor Ms. Vespia was always there for me and I relied on her for any issue that I had. I also met wonderful friends who always support me and make me feel loved and valued.
After two years of hard work, I was now able to speak to people with confidence, understand when people speak fast, and write big paragraphs. I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered English, because I’m still learning the vocabulary and improving my pronunciation. Sometimes when speaking, my Spanish comes out, or I forget a word and I have to look it up. There were countless times I got stressed when learning English, but that didn’t stop me from putting all my effort into learning it. The more I practice, the easier it is to write, speak, and understand it. From the experiences I’ve had, I feel a deep sense of belonging and connection to being part of the Lincoln High School community.
