Dilemma
My accent confuses some people and they assume what I am not.
Some people think that I cannot understand them. Many times people
speak to me in a very loud voice because they feel like I cannot
hear, or they try to talk to me as is they are mimicking a baby.
They do not think that I have an education or that I have a mind.
I was feeling bad about myself. I look for
the pros and cons about having an accent and I discovered that
I should be proud of having one. I am not only another person
born in another country, but I have two languages and know two
cultures. Because of my background, I have more opportunities
to communicate with American-born people and my own Latin culture
people. I can understand foreigners better than anybody else because
I experience the difficulties that people suffer when they come
to this country.
In the beginning, foreigners suffer
culture shock, depression, confusion and homesickness. People
have to integrate into the American culture to feel better and
that is what I did. I learned to follow customs and traditions.
Most important is to study the language well and the rest is a
piece of cake. My accent does not interfere with my success. On
the contrary, I have more opportunities. I am a proud American
born in Colombia.
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