This was a very interesting project. you grandpa looks very handsome and elegant in his picture. I hope he can keep helping the poor people in his town. From your project, I can tell that his religion is very important to him. I hope that he stays healthy and happy through This COVID 19 pandemic. Thank you for sharing your grandfather’s story with us.

Dear Heymi
I am pleased with your essay, “Big Decision,” because when I was in middle school I had to choose a high school too and I was scared that I was not going to get into a good high school. but park slope chose me and I felt relief
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “I saw that one school was really near my home but it had a bad reputation and people don’t really graduate from that school so I was happy that, that school didn’t choose me.”
I think this is because you don’t want to go to a bad school that is going to cause you problems and I agree.

Hi Heymi, I found your post very interesting, I always wondered what it would be like if I had to go to school somewhere where I wasn’t completely fluent in the language spoken there. I can imagine how big of a challenge this would have been. I’m happy to see that you enjoy writing in English now.

Hello Heymi,
I found your post really interesting and a great perspective on what a lot of people in this country face when they don’t know English. My grandmother moved here thirty years ago and had to work hard in order to learn English so that she could get a good job for her kids. You seem to be doing really well on learning English, especially since it’s a very complicated language. I wish you all the best!

Hello Haymi,
I really enjoyed reading your post and experiencing a new perspective on life in America. As someone who was born in the US, I’ve been learning English from a very young age and never had any trouble communicating with fellow family members or teachers. I like your anecdote regarding your cousin Yesenia because it reflects how important our first formative years are in picking up language, regardless of family or language of origin. Finally, I connected with being scared to speak in school because I am also learning a second language at school, French, and as I don’t have the greatest grasp of its grammar or vocabulary I tend not to speak, not wanting to make a fool of myself. I hope that you continue to learn and love English!

Heymi, I really loved your post! As a first generation Mexican-American I resonate with difficulties in speaking the language at times. Spanish was also my first language and I had to learn English in school when I was around five. Because I was so you though, I don’t really remember much of the process. I have though, helped my family members learn English and now the difficulty of it all and the dedication it takes to learn the language. I’m glad you enjoy learning English!

Estimada Heymi.

Estoy muy impresionada de como escribiste tu poema ya que te expresas muy bien y tambien se puede entender muy bien lo que quisiste transmitir al escribir tu poema.

Una oración que escribiste que me llama la atención es “When I came to New York I did not know that all people in school would need to speak English in order all teacher would be able to understand students. I was so scared to speak but at least I was trying to talk with my friends that I made in the first middle year. I remember that my grandmother used to tell me some words in English when I was in El Salvador, some words easy as “maybe, thank you, yes, etc”. Eso es lo mismo por lo que yo estoy pasando ahora ,porque no se hablar muy bien ingles y me da un poco de miedo pero trato de hablar el idioma.

Otra oración que me llamó la atención fue “Three years ago I meet my little cousin (my uncle’s daughter) her name is Yesenia when I meet her she was talking with me in English and I was not able to understand what she was saying so my uncle used to translate what she was saying then I reply to her in Spanish and my uncle translate back to her in English.” Esta me llamó la atención porque yo tambien tengo primas que solo hablan ingles y yo no las entiendo entonces mi padrino me tiene que traducir lo que ellas me están diciendo.

Tu poema me recuerda de algo que me pasó a mí. Una vez yo estaba en la casa de mi padrino y sus hijas ( mis primas)solo hablan ingles y yo no entendía lo ellas me decían y entonces mi padrino me tuvo que traducir lo que ellas me estaban diciendo para yo poder entender.

Gracias por escribir. Espero leer tu próxima discusión porque eres muy buena explicando y me gusta como te expresas.

Kerly