Two Languages, One Me

Hello everyone! I haven’t written in a while because I was super busy preparing for these big tests at school called Standard of Language (SOL). I wanted to do really well on them, so I didn’t have time to write. I’ve missed sharing stories with you all, but I’m back now with a fresh story to tell about why it’s hard for refugees like me to learn English when we arrive in the US.

Here in America, I have to remember how to speak two languages every single day! I need English for school, which is important for all my classes and for making friends, and I need Farsi to talk with my family at home. It’s getting tough because sometimes I start forgetting words in Farsi, which is scary! I worry a lot that my little brothers might forget how to speak our first language, Farsi. That would be really, really bad. If they forget, my parents will have to speak only English at home so that everyone can understand each other. I don’t want our home to turn into a place where we only speak English and forget our own language.

In Afghanistan, where we’re from, everyone spoke Farsi, so school was easier in some ways. We even had English classes, but those were just about reading stories in English, and our teacher would help us understand by translating everything into Farsi. It felt safe and familiar. But here in America, everything’s different. We have big exams like the SOLs, which have like 40 questions each, and they can be really confusing! We didn’t have tests like that back home. It’s all so new and sometimes it feels really unfair.

I really miss Afghanistan. It was the best place, and I always think about it. I don’t know why things had to change, why we had to leave our home because of the Taliban. Now, being in America, I’m trying to learn everything I can and keep speaking Farsi too. But sometimes I feel like I’m losing parts of me, like I’m not the same person anymore. I hope one day I can understand why all this had to happen and find a way to feel whole again, keeping both my languages and not losing who I am.

I wanted to share this story because I think it’s important for people in America to understand what kids like me go through. It’s not just about learning a new language; it’s about holding onto our roots while trying to grow in new soil. This story is a window into the lives of many children who are trying to find their place in a new country without losing their identity. It shows why it’s important to be kind and patient with each other and why we all need to help make sure everyone can feel at home, no matter where they come from.