From Monolingual to Bilingual

When I was two years old, I landed at the Miami International Airport from Peru, where my great grandparents still do not know how to read or write in their own language. My mother and I boarded a bus that brought us to Union City, NJ, which has been my hometown to this very day. That day we started a new life, in a new country, which forced us to learn a new language, and which also forced me into literacy. 

The only language I spoke was Spanish. I was introduced to the English language my first day in Pre-School. Unfortunately for me, my first teacher only spoke English. The challenges were evident. I was unable to communicate with her. However, one of the frustrating challenges was that instead of trying to understand me, she yelled at me for not being able to communicate. It was not until I was switched to another class that I actually started to learn the language and receive support from my teacher and peers. This is what pushed me into becoming literate in the English language. However, the hardest part was going back home and not being able to practice the language. My parents only spoke Spanish, so I was becoming literate in Spanish at home. Learning English was twice as hard, being that I was only able to speak it in school. 

Due to the fact that I was not fluent in English, my parents were not comfortable sending me to a public school that was filled with kids who were fluent in the language. I ended up attending a private school from kindergarten to sixth grade. Starting kindergarten was better than starting pre-school. I had a teacher who helped me immensely even though she did not speak Spanish. I became friends with students who were also learning the language and students who were already fluent in it. Having these peers helped me become more literate in the English language. I obviously learned to read in school, and I would read more and more on my own. I was never a fan of writing; however, I always loved to read. Reading horror novels helped me become more literate. I would learn more vocabulary through my books, and I would use what I learned and apply it to my speaking and writing. I credit reading with being the central aspect of me being able to communicate well in English today. 

My path to literacy pushed my parents to learn the English language as well. They were not in school to learn as I did; however, they knew the importance the language. Every day that I would come home from school speaking more and more English was more reason for them to learn because they wanted to help me as much as they could. Today, my parents understand English well, and although they do not speak as well as I do, they can easily hold their own in a conversation in English. In fact, my father is currently in English classes to learn to read and write to help him get certifications for his job.

Literacy is one of the most important things a person can have. The ability to communicate accurately through reading and writing is what creates opportunity. If you cannot read or write, nobody in the world will take you seriously, and very few would ever offer to help you learn. Without literacy, there is no way you would get a well-paying job. Besides those obvious reasons, literacy to me is most important because, without literacy, there are few ways to educate yourself. If you cannot read, you are missing out on so many pieces of knowledge held within billions of books and articles. Literacy means knowledge, and knowledge is the power that will help you get through the game of life.