America, My Home
Shun Li
Brighton High School, Rochester, NY
Sponsoring Station: WXXI, Rochester, NY
It was an exciting day on January 29th. On the plane flying to the United States, my parents and I were very eager to see the biggest developed country in the world. I had heard a lot of things about the U.S.: Democracy, Microsoft, NBA, Disney, and Harvard and ... After 14 hours in the air, we arrived in the airport of Detroit. I glanced at a man with yellow hair and blue eyes, and I said to myself: "Oh, this is how an American looks."
As a foreigner, I had loads barriers living in the U.S. I didn't know how to speak English. It always made me feel embarrassed when I couldn't speak to the person who was asking me. And worst of all, I was not able to understand the lesson given by the teachers and do the homework. My academic grades were very bad in the first year.
Despite I had an unsuccessful first year in the America, I didn't give up. I was looking for some ways to improve my English. My teacher told me that I could build up my vocabulary by reading books, and she recommended some book to me. Although I had some trouble at the beginning, I soon overcame it. Speaking English was very important, too. I found out that I had to speak so that people could understand me, and I had to speak if I wanted to make friends.
Now I have been in the United States for two years, everything goes very well. My English is getting better and better, and I become more Americanized.
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