Advance essay #2 Israt Jahan

Advance essay #2  

No English

In the essay I wanted to explore the literacy of not speaking the languages. And how it can affect people in different way.   People don’t understand how hard it is to not speak a language in a country that everyone speaks that languages and how hard it is to get through everything.

It was the second day of our new house in in 2011, two weeks in united states.  I did not speak english at that time. Neither did my family. We just came to united states and finally moved into our new house. The moving process did not take long because we did not have that many things with us. Not like we can bring furniture on  a plane. We had to sell all the furniture that my mom customized it in her own design that she was really proud of. I remembered that my mom was really sad when she had to sell her dresses which was completely new she just got it and it’s made out of real wood. After we moved in and finished putting everything away I realized I didn’t have anything to do at all. My mom wanted to take a nap while my dad was at work, and my siblings were sleeping while I was bored in this big home doing nothing. I didn’t have a television either. I wandered around the house and found a window. Then I looked out and saw that you can climb out the window and sit on the roof top but it didn’t have a door to go through. I looked out and saw the next door people had a deck on the rooftop and they had a door so I decided to go out and climb through the window. In the process of climbing I almost slipped and fell but I held on to the window. “Becareful” someone said “Ki” “Oh, I said be careful”  I  just looked at her didn’t know what to say. “Are you guys new here” she said. First I didn’t get what she said but then I knew what the word new was so I said yes. “don’t go to far off the edge” now what she just blabared I didn’t understand, but I just said ok so she doesn't have repeat herself. Finally I was able to come down from the edge of the window to the roof of the second floor. “ did you understand what I said” she said. “I...I no I.. NO ENGLISH” I said to her. Her facial expression changed from normal to confused “OH OK….Well it was nice to meet you” I didn’t say anything not because I didn’t understand but because I didn’t know what to say to her. Then she left and went in the door that was made for the deck unlike me climbing through a window. From that moment in my life I realized that “Flies don’t enter a closed mouth” Interpret that as if I don’t learn or try to learn english there wouldn't be any word coming out of my mouth. And I wouldn’t understand anything people would say to me.

From then on I always Look at the book my dad brought to learn english. I watched TV and cartoons like my aunts said to. She said it would help me know some words and learn  how to use them in real life.  

Another time I had to I had experience not understanding english  was with my mom. It was 3 years after the time when I met the lady on the deck. By then I knew how to speak english good enough to understanding everything and not no know to speak. I could speak fine then. I was in 7th grade.  I became the ultimate translator in my family. I had to go everywhere with my mom and dad from grocery stores to green card office to school  report card conference.

One day I was just sitting in my room after school  thinking about everything and how much my life has changed from when I was in my country to now. And the differnce between teachers, how they teach vs how teachers teaches in my country. One of the most different thing about teachers in united states vs teachers in Bangladesh is the strictness. Which reminds me of a time when I didn’t bring my homework to school in Bangladesh….

I woke up in the morning with knots in my stomach. I knew that this day wouldn’t go right. It was one of those days where nothing goes your way and everything you do ends up being wrong.  I walked down the hallway to my bathroom to get ready for school. After I got ready I went to go have breakfast but no one was awake to make breakfast. Sighing…. “Okay I’ll just take a granola bar and eat it on the way,” I said to myself. I went to go put everything in my backpack but I saw all my stuff in the in my backpack already, Then I remembered I never did any of my homework because I didn’t feel well that weekend. “Oh my god , oh my god “ I kept saying.” I didn’t realize I was saying it a little loud. “Why are you screaming” my mom screamed at me. “I’m not screaming” I said yelling at her. She just looked at me knowing she's right. Sigh… “I’m leaving.” I said to my mom. I walked down stairs and open the gate and started walking down the block. Half way through the walk I realized I didn’t eat any breakfast neither did I bring my granola bar with me. I silently shook my head at myself knowing that it can get way worse today, I just know it. As soon as I went near the school I look at the watch on my hand to see that I have a minute until they ring the bell. I ran up the stairs to the 4th floor, I had english first today. Walking in I sat in my assigned sit near the window. I sat down and took out my english textbook and my homework book to show my homework but I didn’t do it. I put my hand under my chin and looked out the window. I didn’t realize that the teacher was in front of my desk calling my name. “ huh.. Oh ami kori nai = Oh I didn’t do it” “ Cano= Why?” “Āmi asusta chilam ēbaṁ āmi ēṭi bhulē gēchi = I've been sick and I forgot I had homework”  She looked at me like I forgot my passport for my flight that’s leaving. For ten second she just stared at me which felt a lot more than ten second. Never in my life did I have more strict teacher than her. She always seems mad. “ Bā'irē dām̐ṛiẏē thākō yatakṣaṇa nā āmi tōmākē āsatē bali = go stand outside until I tell you to come in ” That day she made me stand outside the door of the classroom  for 10 minutes. When she finally told me to come in she gave me a lecture about how she going to tell my mom. It always fascinates me how much of a difference in teaching  over there and how they teaches in united states.

Works cited

How to tame a wild tongue By: GLORIA ANZALDUA

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HiE7cGVyGIXXl1vYOQw3_vETIl66U3W-UN2Ht6Jih48/edit