I am from El Salvador. I was living with my grandmother and my cousins in El Salvador. When I came to the United States, I came by myself with people who bring the kids. I first came to California when I came to the United States. I felt happy because I knew that I would see my mom and my dad. My mom told me that she left me when I was two years old and she came here to work so she could bring me to get a good education. The differences between El Salvador and the U.S are it is another type of life. It is another climate, different people, language and food that has more nutrients. I came to California when I was ten years old and it was like I was lost because I didn’t know how life was here.

 The environment affects me because I hear a lot of people speaking in English, a language that I didn’t know. I felt really bad when I first went to school because I was the only one that didn’t speak in English. I also felt like running away because I felt frustrated that I didn’t understand what people and teachers were saying. The teachers started helping me doing my homework and my classwork too. When teachers started to help me, I felt more confident with my self and friends because I also started speaking a little bit more English.

A difficult time was when I went to school and was embarrassed to make a presentation in English. I didn’t know how to do it. Other problems that I faced were going places and people might speak to me and I didn’t know what to answer. I learned that I needed to study more English in school and not to be shy with others. Now that I look back I feel more comfortable because I know more English.