My American Life

Sripattra Panichakarn
Thailand
ESOL 400
Fall 2007

My Trip

It was May 10, 2007 when I knew that it was the last day that I would be in my motherland, Thailand. I started to be very confused and unsure if I had put all the things I needed for two years of life in America in my luggage. My parents were with me to help me pack all of my belongings. The less time I had with my family, the more I did not want to leave them. How could I leave my family, my friends, and even my little puppy? Two years was such a long time. I began to cry in my room before leaving the house. My mom came in to comfort me and say something to cheer me up: “You will not be lonely; I’ll miss you all the time. By the way, you have an aunt living in New York. Don’t be afraid. I know you can live in the US. After that, you will know that two years is very short.” I felt more relieved.

At the airport, my friends were there to say good bye; then I sobbed again. Would I meet good friends like them in the US? We had been together for eight years. I could not imagine the future without them.

Seventeen hours in the plane was a long horrible trip for me. I was scared and excited at the same time. What would I have to do at immigration? I looked at the immigration documents of the passenger who sat next to me in order to check whether I had filled them out correctly. After a long journey, I reached the land of freedom. My aunt was waiting outside the airport. I felt warm. I was not alone. Then she took me to her place in New York so I could have a rest.

First Day at ELS

After three weeks, I got familiar with many things such as houses, streets, people and the American way of life. Then I moved to my host family, who lived near the ELS school. I had my own room on the second floor of the house.

The first day at the English school was one of my memorable days. I was at school early; I saw a lot of international students. Most of them came from South Korea, followed by Saudi Arabia. As I entered the classroom, I saw young men and women introducing themselves to each other. I looked for my seat. Then I saw a shy young woman, so I chose to sit next to her.
“I am Pat; what’s your name?” I attempted to make a new friend.
“Ha Jiyoun,” she replied.

Before the class began, I found out a little about her. She was a new student like me. She came from South Korea. She told me that if I had not talked to her first, she would have not dared to begin a conversation with me. I was correct that she was shy.
At lunch, I asked her whether she had brought something to eat.
“Have you brought anything to eat? I have fried squid with rice; do you want to join me?” I asked.
“You know? Tomorrow we will have quiz,” she replied, without answering my question.
“What squid? Tomorrow you will bring squid, right?” I got very confused.
“No, no, no. Don’t you know quiz?” She looked confused, too.
“Yes, I do know squid. But why? Don’t you want to eat?” I continued to ask.
“No, I mean quiz. A test. You know test, right?” She tried to explain it to me.
“Umm, I know the taste of squid. Why?” I answered her.

A few seconds later, I realized what she had just said. It was a quiz that we would have the next day. How embarrassing it was. The words “quiz and test” were not new to me, but why did I not get what she had said? I laughed at myself. Maybe I did not get it because I began our conversation by asking about food. Therefore, the things in my mind were about food. How could “squid” be “quiz” and “test” be “taste”? I was not sure whose English pronunciation was worse. However, we both were still at English school, which meant we needed to improve our English skills. Anyway, I always laugh when this experience pops into my head.

Applebee’s Story

Two months after my arrival, I went to Applebee’s restaurant to taste American food. I asked a young waitress about the soup.
“What kind of soup do you have today?” I asked.
“We have clam soup; do you want clam soup?” she asked me.
“Oh! Yes. I love crab. I’ll have crab soup,” I told her.
“It’s clam soup. Do you want clam soup?” She looked at me like I was an idiot.
“Yes, I do. I’ll have crab soup,” I still insisted on what I wanted.
“Okay, I’ll bring you clam soup,” she said.

Then she turned back and walked to the kitchen. I did not know what I had done wrong. Maybe she was so stupid that she did not understand me, I thought. However, she returned with a bowl of soup, and after I had tasted it, I knew right away that it was not crab. It was something that the waitress had tried to make me understand. I was embarrassed.
When I reached home, I looked the word “clam” up in the dictionary, and I found that “clam” is not “crab.”

These are only two of my experiences using English to communicate. There were far more than these. However, the more I experience these kinds of situations, the more I need to improve my English skills. I will break the language barrier so I can speak English fluently. I would like to recommend to all international students that they should not be embarrassed to speak English. The more one speaks, the more one learns.