First Memories

I don’t have many memories of the first times I felt literate, but I do remember when in my fourth or fifth grade I read some chapters of “The Little Prince” in class. I still remember the feeling of pride when I realized that I could read on my own and that I was enjoying what I was reading.

Before continuing with this story, I would like to talk about myself, and about who I am so that the context that surrounds me can be better understood. My full name is Ana Sofia Acosta Rojas, I was born and grew up in Bogotá, Colombia. As you can understand, I received most of my education there. My first encounters with speaking, writing, and reading were completely in my native language, Spanish. I had Spanish classes practically my entire life; I remember having to read many articles and books for class. The book I remember most reading in class was “Satanás” by Mario Mendoza. At first, I wasn’t very interested in reading it since it was something I had to do for a grade rather than something I wanted to do on my own initiative. Despite this, as we read chapters along with the teacher, I became increasingly interested not only in the story but in the way the author narrated it. Thanks to that, I decided to delve deeper into reading (since I am not a book person), specifically into the books by that author. Finally, at the age of 13-14 years, I bought my first book called “Apocalipsis” by Mario Mendoza. I was simply delighted with the story, and I felt proud of myself because as I read, I learned new things about grammar and vocabulary that I didn’t know yet, but primarily because I was able to finish an entire book in relatively little time without anyone asking me to and out of my own interest. Since then, I continued reading books by Mario Mendoza, and he has become my favorite writer. Currently, my favorite book by him is “La Melancolía de Los Feos.”

Having mentioned all the above, we can continue with the next part of the story. Apart from my Spanish classes, I also had English classes there. I remember learning how to use the verb “to be” and very basic things, like knowing how to greet, the months, days, and numbers. They weren’t very advanced classes; they only taught you the basics to understand and be understood, as English is regarded in many countries as a language that opens many doors, something I completely agree with. Despite having those English classes, it wasn’t enough to have strong skills and tools to venture into speaking with a native or someone who speaks English. I remember having very good grades in that class and being able to learn quickly; however, the real challenge came a few years later. Due to the famous COVID-19 pandemic, my family and I went through various economic problems, so sometime later my parents decided to move to the United States, prioritizing my future. We arrived in this country approximately three years ago, and I started the 10th grade at a high school in New Jersey. My initial experience was feeling very nervous because although I knew some basic English, I wasn’t fluent and still had a lot to learn. I had the fortune or maybe not so much, of arriving in a town where most people spoke Spanish. It was my salvation at the time because I felt at home and in my comfort zone, and I no longer felt so nervous about being in a new place and school. But today I see it as a disadvantage because even though I was in the ESL program at school, having friends and teachers who spoke to me in Spanish, I didn’t force myself to speak English as much as I should have to improve and learn more. Comparing my English today to three years ago, I can notice great progress and I thank my teachers for their patience and what I have learned. To be honest, I am still not completely fluent, and I can make grammatical mistakes; however, I continue to strive to build it and will always keep doing so, as one never stops learning a language, not even our native language.