The Impact in Your Life
* Please describe the impact your adversities have had on your life. When my sisters and I first came to the United States I had trouble understanding American English. Though we had been taught English in our school in the camp we were not prepared to learn in a completely English environment in a completely new culture. The transition was quite a challenge for us, not to mention starting well into the second half of the school year, but we pressed through and managed to get good grades.
Everything has been completely new for me and my family and although we have received help, life here has been full of its own challenges. I sometimes become depressed when I am stuck at home do nothing. This new world has been especially challenging and complicated for my parents because they don’t understand or know how to speak English. They are learning, however, by taking classes. Currently, they are learning how to say all the food names in English.
Another trial for us right now is the fact that my parents don’t work because they don’t know how to speak English and so it has been nearly impossible for them to find jobs and so support our family. When I think about all our challenges, new and old, I usually became frustrated and depressed even though I can understand and speak English well, but when I think about my parents and the fact that they don’t even understand what everyone else here is saying, I wonder how they must feel.
Sometimes I listen to the conversation between my mom and dad about being very depressed and worried. Being a daughter I try to make them feel better by serving as an interpreter for them so that can function wherever they want to go. We also try to take them to meet other people who are also from Nepal so that they can share their feelings and try to find relief in this new country. *
