The English language is very difficult for Non-English speaking people to learn well.

My parents
and the generation before me had a hard time learning the English language to communicate well
with others. In my life, I have had encounter many difficult situations and challenges, but I have to
stress that learning to write in English has been the most difficult challenge. Learning English is a
big challenge for many people who come to The United States. Sometimes, I have given up in
frustration due to the difficulties I had to face to survive in this country where English is the
dominant language.




As generic as it may sound, the language barrier is easily the biggest
challenge and hurdle of my life. Growing up in a family with parents that only
spoke Chinese could be viewed very similarly to a double-edged sword. It forced
me to learn Chinese as my first language, thus giving me a method to
communicate with my family. But on that same token, it made the transition from
Chinese, at home, to English, at school, tremendously harder. Up until fifth
grade, I had great difficulties with English because all I knew was Chinese but
eventually the transition between Chinese and English became easier. I started
to be able to comprehend the English language. Overcoming this wall reaped a
great gift as well, the ability to speak two of the most spoken and useful
languages around this world. Then the summer before my eighth grade, my family
and I moved to El Paso.

El Paso is a city that is very Hispanic in its culture
and well as language. Everywhere you went, you always heard somebody speaking
Spanish. This soon became the second language hurdle I had to face. But with
time, comes knowledge like the old saying goes and I was able to slowly
comprehend Spanish little by little, then slowly able to speak it. Now, in my
senior year of high school, I can fluently read, write, and speak Spanish.
Although these challenges were not easy to overcome, I did overcome them
through perseverance, dedication, and hard work. Now I have three of the most
useful languages in the world under my belt: Chinese, English, and Spanish.
Although I did not ask for any of this, I took advantage of the opportunities
presented toward me and now reap the benefits of growing up in a mono-language
family, while going to school with English speakers, then moving to a strongly
Hispanic city.












My Personal Challenge


The personal challenge that I faced mainly dealt with my health. Ever since I was child, I was very
sick physically. The doctor recommended that I not play or participate in any type of sports because
of my poor health. This led to a lack of confidence in myself to perform my best. I have always
thought that there was a barrier somewhere in my life, and I could not pass that barrier because if I
did then my life would certainly be in ruins. I was raised with the philosophies of the Chinese. I was
told that no one could perform many tasks at once and be successful. Ever since, I always have an
image that if I participated in activities at school then I would do poorly in my school work. I never
pushed my limits to the maximum to challenge myself. It was as if there was a wall standing in
front of me blocking me from being successful. I was always afraid that the consequences might be
permanent and my grades would drop.



For years, I have always focused my energy and time into studying and being successful for my
future. I never participated in any activities in or outside of school. I would sometimes help my dad
and mom take care of the housework because they have to work hard to keep the house financially
stable. Maintaining a 3.7 or higher GPA throughout my middle and high school years, I was very
happy with my academic accomplishments. In my sophomore year, my vice-principal and
counselor encouraged me to join an after-school activity so that I would be qualify to be a member
of the National Honor Society during my junior year. I gave a lot of thought to this during
sophomore year, and I decided that I should at least try one sport. I joined the baseball team, but
because of my lack of skills, I was cut from the team. However, I did not give up because my motto
is "Once you give up, you give up everything including life." I always go by this simple principle
and this is what keeps me going on even today.



Then I tried outdoor track and found myself struggling and being the slowest person in school. I did
not ran any race during the meet for that entire year. I was angry at myself for the year. I told
myself, "If others can do it, then you can too." Throughout my life, I have always tried to challenge
myself by trying to succeed. I always have set high standards in myself. I would never let myself be
ranked low among others whether it is school work or anything else. At first, I thought that
something would have to be sacrificed because it is nature's law to make man not perfect. No one
can do well in more than one thing and that is what I believed for the first half of my life. That
philosophy however had been shattered by a girl who I met while running for the track team. She
was the most perfect girl I have ever met in my life. She was valedictorian of the class of '96 and an
outstanding athlete. She opened the gateway to another world for me. I told myself, "If she can do
it, then I can certainly do it also." From then on, I realized that there is no limit to what a human can
do if they put their mind to it. This opened another world to me. I enjoy sports, especially running
and swimming. During my junior year, I joined cross country, indoor track, the swim team, and
outdoor track. My time in running has improved dramatically, especially during my senior year. I
am now captain of the cross country team and co-captain of the swim team. I have improved my
time after ever swim meet, track meet, or cross country meet. Even more importantly, I still was
able to maintain a very high GPA. This proved to me that I can do anything if I only try.



The insight which I have gained from this experience has given me a great boost of self-esteem. I
learned that there are no limits to what a human being can do if he or she only his their best. To
further prove my theory, I got a job during the summer and kept it during the school year. I am also
currently taking four Advanced Placement classes during my senior year along with after school
activities. I am doing this to help myself be prepared for college and to further improve my life,
because I am spending more time doing other activities such as sports, homework, and going to
work. I am hoping to continue being conscientious throughout my college years, as I strive to do
my best academically.

(821 words)



My Story Challenges Me to Improve My Life

Life blends with happiness and dreadfulness. Every one of us might have experienced some
kind of hardships in life. Sometimes we can successfully overcome those hardships and sometimes
we are still struggling and suffering, but dont ever be despondent. No matter how hard it is, as long
as you stay persistent and self-determined, you will be able to overcome those obstacles.

To know who I am you must first know where I began. My life started in a small province in
Vietnam which lacked freedom and opportunities for all those suffering from poverty and under
control of the Communists. How did we end up in such a place you might wonder? My father was a
captain during the Vietnam War on the government side. After the Communists came to conquer
the nation, my father was taken into a re-education camp for six years. Upon his release and return
home, we found it was difficult to live our lives. Many people would discriminate against our
family, so we found it necessary to relocate our family. My parents decided to move to a small
province called Dong Thap hoping to have another chance to start a new life.

I was then born four years after my parents were adjusting to Dong Thap. My parents thought
that if we moved to this new place it would make our life easier, but it was worse. We didnt have
enough money in our pockets to buy some property not even a small land for us to build a hut.
Thanks to my grandma who gave us a small boat. we were able to live on that boat as a home.

We were living on that houseboat for almost two years, driving that boat around the province.
The most terrifying experience of living in this houseboat was when a storm came. Our boat was
not strong and big enough to hold the storm force. The storm could have destroyed our boat at any
time, but thanks to God, we survived through all storm obstacles.

Even though we struggled, my family never became despondent. We worked hard and finally a
year later we were able to buy a small piece of land and build a house. Were not afraid of the scary
storm any more, although we were still facing other problems.

My parents worked very hard to protect my family from the criticism from other people and
from the neighborhood spies. The Communists had neighborhood spies who kept their eyes on
people. We would never know which neighbor was the spy. The neighborhood spy could report
false information to the head of the province and we could be sent to prison.

I always dreamed of getting out of that place, but where could I go? Time went by and my
hunger for freedom become stronger. I kept asking my parents, Can we go somewhere else? They
nodded their heads and responded, Go where? Just keep your mouth quiet. From that day I never
asked my parents again, but I kept thinking about this dream until one day I had good news.

My father found out that former soldiers who had served in the re-education camp for more than
five years were allowed to file to come to America. He was skeptical about this opportunity, but he
decided to take this risk. We had to sell some of the property to pay for application fee. We waited
for almost two years until we heard something from the U.S Embassy. Finally, we were asked to
come for the interview. It was my happiest day, but also my saddest moment because the consulter
rejected all of us except my father. My father didnt want to leave us behind, but we asked him to
leave because he could help us after he settled in America.

Fortunately a year later my siblings and I were approved to join with my father. Unfortunately,
my mother and my sister were rejected due to other circumstances. I then left my mother and my
sister behind. The day I left my mother and my sister was the gloomiest day, one that I will never
forget.

Problems Continue in the U.S.
Seven years ago I was new to America, a strange country but with a lot of opportunities. I left
my homeland and sought to escape to America because of my hunger for liberty and for a better
future. When I got here my life changed. I never knew what America looked like. All I thought was
living in this place I wouldnt have to suffer any obstacle. I thought that I was going to live a happy
life. This dream was not true. My life blended with pain and tears once again.
I remember going to middle school was like a horrible experience that I had to face when I first
started my new life in America. It was so difficult for me to adjust to America and to the language. I
told myself not to be discouraged because I left my homeland for this so there was no excuse for me
to give up.
At first I was excited to go to school, but soon school was not very exciting for me. Knowing
only a little of English was very hard. Kids were making fun of my English. They said a lot mean
things. I was hurt like a deep wound cut inside. I wished that somebody was there who would tell
those kids to stop.
School was hard, but teachers were not very helpful for me. Some of my teachers were tired and
they didnt have patience with me because learning was hard. I know it was hard for them, too, to
repeat things again and again. I was mad at myself, too.
Every time I did my homework, my tears were just dripping out from my eyes. All of my work
was smeared with tears. One of my teachers asked me, Why is your paper wrinkled? I didnt
know how to reply because of my little English and I thought that they were not very interested and
didnt care, so it was pointless to confide in them.
I cried so many nights, but I never stop working hard. I did all my work and I found my own
way to get help. I was in the Bridges Program. This program helped new ESOL students with
homework and to learn new things. I was lucky that I had (and still have) a wonderful mentor,
Elaine Lessenco. She has been a wonderful friend to me. She helps me with my homework and she
comforts my sadness. Elaine had such a big impact on me and helped me to gain confidence
because I knew she was there to help me. Thanks to Elaine for everything. I successfully graduated
from middle school with straight As.
Seven years is such a long time, but it goes so fast. Whenever I look back at my past, I feel
proud of myself. Im proud that I didnt let any hardships hold me back. I will be graduating from
Blair in June. Im proud of my hard work, but yet Im still having another long hardship to go
through which is to go to college. I know college isnt easy, but I will never stop until I achieve my
dreams.
My dream is to become a helpful registered nurse. My motivation is to complete four years
college and then go to study beyond later if I have a chance because education never stops. That
was just one of my dreams. I want to have a good future and a loving family. I will rise and provide
my children to become a successful person. Because of what I have been through I dont want my
children to go through my same experience. They will use my story as a role model for them to
work hard and to be successful in their lives.

(1300 words)