This I Believe Draft- If I Can, You Can

            When difficult issues occur in life, some people will just give up in the process or not even try to solve the problem; others will try hard to get through the difficulty. I faced a major problem when I first come to the United States, but I choose to work hard and try my best to overcome the obstacle. At the age of ten, my family immigrated to the America. Being a child born in China, moving to the other side of the world was like starting a new life because everything is different. I had to adapt to the culture, living style, and the environment, however, the biggest problem I have is speaking English. I have been speaking Chinese even since I was born, and never learned English; so I had to learn a whole new language that has nothing in common with Chinese at all, which is very hard.

            In my first year of school in the U.S., English is a major issue for me. I cannot understand stand anything that’s taught in class and I didn't know how to do any of the homework just because I didn't know any English. For this reason, I was the only student in my class that’s allowed to openly copy answers from other classmates. The only subject I was confident in was math because it didn't require much English. Due to my situation, I was put into ESOL for two years; I start from learning the basic rules and structures of English, then move onto harder English skills as I go longer in ESOL. After a year of ESOL, I was able to adapt to the living style and the educational system of U.S., but I still had to work on more elevated English and the fluency of it, so I practice and practice as I’m in the program. After my second year of ESOL, I was able to speak fluent English, so I graduated from the program and was able to take the same classes as everyone else. Taking two years to learn a language fluently could seem long or short, but I put in a lot of work and practiced a lot to come to where I am now, so I believe that there’s nothing you cannot overcome as long as you work hard and try your best.

Belief: I believe that working hard and trying the best can help one achieve his or her goal and overcome obstacles in life.

Word Count: 390