A Personal Experience Of Being Bilingual

Statistics show that the Mexican-American race has the highest number of people that populate the United States, and this demographic continues to grow even more. A Mexican-American is an American of full or partial Mexican decent. My parents, both born in Mexico, migrated to the United States in search of a better future for themselves and children. Because of my Hispanic roots, and my birth in the U.S., I am considered a Mexican-American. As a result of my equivalent exposure to two different cultures, I grew up being bilingual. My native language is Spanish, and I began to learn English when I was in Pre-K. As a young child, I did not know being bilingual would be of such importance. Nevertheless, now that I am young adult, I fully understand …show more content…
There are those that are willing to learn about their roots, others that will reject them, and those that assert the Hispanic culture and know of the traditions. This division of the Hispanic community, has to do with the fear of acceptance and possibly American pressure. A child should not feel pressured into having to “choose” their identity. A child needs support, in order for them to make free decisions in life. “Recently researchers have built on long‐established theory and data exploring the close link between language and identity to argue that both self‐identification and community support are necessary for young bilinguals to fully develop a connection to multiple languages and cultures” (Fought;Norton). There is an argument with the complexity of bilingualism and biculturalism. This situation is especially dealt with children. Why categorize a child because of their ability to communicate in two languages? Instead, why not understand the importance of diversity of the languages and let the child express him or herself. Self-identity is something that is gained with experience. A child grasps what he or she is taught by their surroundings. I do believe that any child can choose their own individuality. If a child decides to include two languages in their self hood, it should not be criticized. The same concept should be applied when accepting two cultures. I do not …show more content…
A lot of people do not understand that not everyone speaks English. Bilingualism means being able to communicate effortlessly in two languages. However, not only speaking, but reading and writing fluently as well. I am grateful to have been taught how to read and write in Spanish while attending church. I am also appreciative to have learned English at a very young age, because little did I know that it would become a big role in my life. I remember being in the third grade, when my mother asked me to fill out registration papers for school, on my own. I recall thinking to myself it was impossible for me to understand the big words on those forms. My mother only speaks Spanish; I could not stand watching her trying to communicate with school administration for me to be able to continue my education. All I wanted to do was help her in anything that I could. In spite of my self-doubt, I filled out the paperwork and I did it correctly. Now I am big sister, and I fill out anything my mom needs. You see, that is the importance of being bilingual. If I did not have the ability to interpret, my family would be struggling. I now help my parents improve their English, I provide assistance to anyone that is in need of improvement in their pronunciation, and I am even the person that people can come to when the situation involves reading important documents. I am blissful and feel very reassured in my