One of the great aspects of Marshall, which the school often flaunts, is its diversity. With a student body representing 84 countries and speaking 62 different languages, it would be wrong to assume that the Rank & File reaches the entire student body when we publish stories in English.
This month, we are kicking off our year-long partnership with the English as a Second Language program by profiling graduates of the ESOL program and publishing their interviews in both English and their native languages.
Seniors Tsuruko Terakawa and Seyed Kamyar Zojaji sat down to discuss their moves to the United States, the experiences they had while adjusting, and the benefits and challenges of the ESOL program. We conducted these interviews in English and Terakawa and Zojaji translated them into their respective native languages.
There is no one set standard to establish who a Marshall student is or where they’re from, but ultimately it is the variety of diverse perspectives which each student contributes that combine to form the school’s complex learning environment. Our goal is to fully represent that environment.
This is just a first step in our partnership with ESOL as we hope to incorporate more stories and languages in order to reach a large portion of our community. Feel free to let us know your opinion of this expansion.
Been in the U.S. for: 2 years
Previously lived in: Tokyo, Japan
First language: Japanese
How did you start learning English?
I had English class in Japan at my Japanese school.
What has been the biggest difference between the U.S. and Japan?
Americans are more talkative, chatty. Even if they don’t know the person they talk freely. In Japan we are more, like, polite. We don’t really talk to an unknown person.
What was the biggest challenge of moving to the United States?
Language.
How hard of a language is English?
I couldn’t understand any questions on my first test.
What was the biggest benefit of ESOL in your opinion?
I get to know a new language and meet new friends.
Are you going to college in the United States?
Yes, I am going to apply.
What advice would you give to someone starting the ESOL program right now?
If you want to learn language quicker, you have to talk with
Americans so that you can learn quicker.
学年： １２
アメリカに来て ：２年
昔住んでいた場所： 日本、東京
母語：日本語
どうやって英語を習い始めたのか？
日本の学校の英語の授業で習いました
アメリカと日本の間で一番の違いは何ですか？
アメリカ人は日本人よりおしゃべりで、知らない人にも気軽に声をかけます。日本人は比べて、丁寧でかしこまっていて、知らない人とはあまり話しません。
アメリカに来てから、一番大変だったことは何ですか？
言葉です
英語がどれくらい難しいと思っていましたか？
アメリカに来て最初のテストで、一問も解く事ができませんでした。
あなたの意見で、ESOLが一番役に立ったと思った所は？
新しい言葉を習い、新しい友達と会えたことです。
アメリカの大学に行くつもりですか？
はい、これから申し込むつもりです。
ESOLをこれから始める人たちに、何か意見はありますか？
英語を早く上達させるには、アメリカ人といっぱい話したほうがいいと思います。
Been in the U.S. for: 2 years
Previously lived in: Mashhad, Iran
First language: Farsi
Had you been learning English in Iran before you moved here?
Yes, I had been learning English at my school, and then I took extra classes outside of school.
What is the biggest difference between Iran and the United States?
More freedom here.
When you say there’s more freedom here, in what way?
No one cares what you wear, and pretty much you can do whatever you want. I mean there is no one to ask you like why you did that.
Was it easy to adjust?
I can’t say I’m adjusted right now, but you get used to it.
Do you want to return for Iran some day?
No, just for visiting.
Do you still have family there?
Yeah, I have a lot.
And have you been back since?
I went back to Iran last summer, the summer of 2014.
What was the best part of the ESOL program?
It was an English class, just easier, so it was important to be in that class first and then move to an English class that everybody learns, like even English people like American people. I’m in English 11/12 now.
كلاس: ١٢
مدت اقامت در آمريكا: ٢ سال
زبان اول: فارسي
آيا در ايران انگليسي ياد گرفته بودي قبل از اين كه آمدا اينجا؟
بله، در مدرسه انگليسي آموخته بودم، و كلاس هاي خارج از مدرسه هم
.برداشته بودم
تفاوت اصلي ايران و آمريكا چي هست؟
.آزادي بيشتري اينجا هست
وقتي ميگي آزادي بيشتري اينجا هست، از چه نظر؟
هيچكسي اهميت نميده چي مي پوشي، و ميتوني هرچي مي خواي بپوشي. منظورم اينه كه هيچكس نيست كه بپرسه چرا اينكارو كردي
آسون بود به اينجا عادت كردن؟
.نميتونم بگم همين الان عادت كردم ولي بهش عادت ميكني
مي خواي يه روزي به ايران برگردي؟
.نه، فقط براي مسافرت
هنوز اونجا خانواده اي داري؟
.آره، خيلي زياد
تا به حال برگشتي به ايران؟
.تابستان ٢٠١٤ ايران رفتم
بهترين قسمت برنامه ايسال (ESOL) چه بود؟
يه كلاس انگليسي بود فقط آسون تر بود، در نتيجه مهم بود كه اول تو اون كلاس باشي و بعد بري تو كلاسي كه همه انگليسي ياد ميگيرن حتي خود
.مريكايي ها. من تو كلاس ١١/١٢ انگليسي هستم