Rama Kadri

Professor Ingman

UCLA 426.1

12 August 2018

Final Project: Interview with an Immigrant

A great number of factors influence the ways in which immigrants are able to adapt to

another environment, and acquire a new language. For example, literacy in the individual’s first

language, age, circumstances, emotional turmoil, anxiety and self-esteem issues, family

expectations, teachers, and motivation can all play pivotal roles, to name merely a few. It is thus

fascinating and quite essential for me, as an educator, to unravel and discover my students’

backstories, and understand their experiences as immigrants, as it heavily impacts the ways in

which I can best support them as learners. Moreover, as an individual who grew up in a family of

immigrants, I feel particularly invested in learning more about what drives these individuals, and

what I can do best do to aid them in not only acquiring language, but in feeling comfortable in

what might very well be an entirely new setting. My fiancé, who emigrated from Egypt 10 years

ago, also loves sharing his experiences in order to strengthen our own connection, and allow me

to relate and understand the experiences of my students even more so.

For instance, in asking him about how his knowledge of Arabic either helped or hindered

his acquisition of English, he noted that it was a bit of both. Arabic is of course distinct from

English in a variety of ways—grammatically, phonetically, and in written form. The alphabet is

entirely different in Arabic, and, like Hebrew, they write and read from right to left, rather than

left to right. However, he noted that he began taking English classes from the time he was

enrolled in school, and even learned to read and write in English at the same time that he learned
to read and write in Arabic. Thus, he was able to adapt in this aspect in a far easier way than

many immigrants.

However, this is not to say that his adjustment to the United States was an easy one.

Although he did have a strong foundation in English, as a result of both formal education, and

also because of his own interest in watching American films and TV shows, adapting to the U.S.

education system proved to be extremely challenging. In the U.S., he details, education is about

process, and about providing evidence. In Egypt, on the other hand, a great deal of education is

based on lecture, rather than discussion, and on memorization, rather than on showing work on

math problems, or in analyzing literature, for instance. He recalls receiving his very first syllabus

in English, and gulping back fear when noting how many presentations he was expected to give.

Not only did this intimidate him because English was not his first language, but he had never

been asked to give a presentation in Egypt. He recalls watching countless YouTube videos in

order to ease his anxieties, and understand what he was specifically being asked to do. Similarly,

on his first math exam, he did not truly understand what his teacher meant by “showing work.”

He calculated the solution in his head, as he always had, and as he had been taught, and was

surprised when he earned a low score, despite having the correct answers. His teacher later

showed him other students’ work as models, in order to explain his expectation. Without this, he

says, he more than likely would have remained perplexed.

He also noted the huge difference between Academic English compared to Colloquial

English. Understanding content-based vocabulary was very difficult, particularly in the

beginning. But, he states that he was very fortunate in that many of his peers and teachers were

more than open to help him before and after class, and in helping him to adjust not only to the

language, but to the structure of our education system.

 There were not many instances in which he misunderstood aspects of everyday, spoken

language, although he notes that certain idioms sometimes did puzzle him, particularly in the

first few months of arriving in the United States. However, he quickly asked for clarification and

was able to decipher the intended meaning of these sayings, as he did have a very strong

foundation in English prior to emigrating.

With regard to culture, he remembers a great deal of culture shock with the ways in

which teachers, in the classroom, approached him, and sought to make connections with him.

This was never a reality in Egypt, he says, where teachers rarely mingle with students, but

instead often lecture and then immediately leave. Providing office hours and email

communication would be shocking in Egypt, as it would be seen as an interference on the teacher

or professor’s personal time and life. He notes that he does not recall a single time, even in

elementary school, in which a teacher shared a personal anecdote. This is very demonstrative of

the fact that, in the Middle East, there are distinct personal and public spheres. In the U.S., he

says, this is very different, and these spheres very much intertwine.

He also often felt taken aback by just how much freedom American people have in

critiquing political leaders. In Egypt, prior to the Revolution, he says, people murmured their

dissent under their breaths, and only ever behind closed doors. Doing otherwise, he attests,

would threaten your life. He was thus shocked, to the say the very least, to see open questioning

of Congressmen and women, and of course, of the President (who, at the time, was President

Obama). However, he notes that this of course something he appreciates, and that he wishes

could be the case in his home country.

He states that he values and appreciates so many aspects of the freedoms he has in the

United States, and is thankful for the opportunities he was afforded in the United States. But, he
feels that it is necessary for native-born citizens to realize just how many privileges they are

given and that they inadvertently do not realize that they have because they have always had

them. Of course, he acknowledges that there are many issues that the U.S. can address in order to

progress further as a nation, but that people often astonish him in not being aware that many of

these freedoms are not available for individuals in many other parts of the world. This, he says, is

unfortunate.

My fiancé is truly grateful for the ways in which he was supported, by teachers, friends,

neighbors, and so many others when growing accustomed to American culture, the English

language, and his greatest challenge—the education system. Although he did have a strong basis

in understanding English, and learned English at a young age—two factors that researchers state

have a great deal of impact—he did face many obstacles in his path in adjusting to our school

system. He struggled, we might say, with cognitive language proficiency (CALPs), despite the

fact that he was strong in his basic interpersonal communicative skills (BICS). His experience is

one that gives me, as a teacher, a greater understanding and sincere appreciation for immigrants,

and for the students I strive to support on a daily basis. His story is one of many, and is one I

carry with me as I work with students and seek to learn their own.