LIJADIS ADISU LAYEW
ESL 6
MY LIFE EXPERIENCE
I’ll never forget the
time I was leaving Ethi-
opia. It was Summer
and I was studying
Math for the final exam.
My friend was with me.
We were talking about
taking the test. Sudden-
ly, my Mom came to us
and told me some ex-
citing news: “You are
leaving for America” I
was shocked. I thought
of everything that I was
30
going to leave behind,
everything that had
been part of me for 19
years...families, teach-
ers, friends, and mostly
my community. I thought
to myself, “How am I
supposed to let go of
all that I hold near and
dear to my heart?” The
only fear I had was how
to speak English with
others. There were a lot
of obstacles that I faced
during my first month.
English is challenging
for me since Amharic is
my first language. Com-
municating with others
was hard and embar-
rassing. I was nervous
and terrified but I kept
my motivation and my
confidence improved.
What an experience! I’ll
never forget it.