Nzala 1

Israel Nzala
Professor Agosta
UWRT 1101-006
05 February 2017
New Life of an Immigrant
When I was teenager, leaving in Congo, a former Belgium colony, speaking French as

native language; my dream was to reside the Unites States. Inspired by news media, and movies

where America was demonstrated as the most powerful country in world. It was the time of Bill

Clinton presidency; every day on media, the prosperity of American economy, and the decrease

of unemployment rate was displayed. This was contrasting my home town reality, Kinshasa,

where the collapse of our economy was obvious, people was struggling to find job and family

leaving in poverty.
Moreover, one day, after watched, the 1988 movie of Eddie Murphy Coming to

America, where he played Akeem Joffer, the prince of imaginary African Kingdom of

Zamunda came to United Stades of American, expecting to find a perfect woman to marry. I

learned that peoples dream to move to America differ to each one purpose. In addition,

immigrants life in United States encounter many challenges. Possessing resource and skill could

make this life more accessible. Similar to the prince Akeem, he used sports, motivation and

courage as skill to success; I will need skills! I said to myself, Skill first. I began to plan ways

of building a foundation skill.

After understood that, college School was the better place to access knowledge and build

skills, I decided then to attend College. Taking in account the economy of our country where

unemployment rate what high, I chosen to accomplish high demand Job major: Sciences and

Electrical technology. After two years of study, I graduated, I got a job, working as Electrical

designer to a project. From college, I learned some fundamentals of English reading, the basic

whom helped me a lot in my job career, because many project were attached with English

documents. Moreover, from science like Mathematics, I master the principle of problem solving,
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the analytical thinking and computer skills. All these were required for Engineering career. It

was at this moment I felt like reaching the turning point of my life.
Turned my thirtys; after a year of marriage, I got an opportunity to accomplish my

dream. Qualified to a Diversity Visa Program, I received Visa to move to American.

Unfortunately, I had to move without my wife, she did not get her Visa.
On the other side, I had memories of Eddie Murphy movie Moving to America, that I will be

immigrant, and I will have to defy many challenges. In the movie, the actor goal was to find a

perfect woman; in my case, it was to get more academic knowledge, probably better job. In

addition, I recognized, that skills like sports, courage and other helped the actor in the movie to

reach his goal; similarly, my intellectual skills: critical thinking, English reading, principle of

problem solving could also help me to success.

However, my dream become a nightmare just in the first hours after our airplane landed

at JFK International Airport. I realized my illiteracy in English language while I was standing in

front of the border agents. The basic English knowledge from my College was totally insufficient

to make myself understandable to US border Officer. I need a French translator I told him in a

barely English with Africans accent, You dont need one He responded. I had to back up on

some clues to figure out what he was asking me to do. After this first test, I had another one; he

asked me to go print at the computer station my boarding pass. I used signs to notify him that I

my miss understanding to what he was saying. To facilitate the comprehension, he wrote the

word boarding pass on a paper, which I was able to read. My English reading and computer

skills assisted me to understand and complete what was ask to me. This experience was so

frustrating, backing myself in some rapid reflection, how to solve this communication

problem? my reading and computer skills were the only trustworthy resources I could use to

work out the problem. This, was just a beginning, I faced more other challenges.
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As an Immigrant in America, without any family members, I had the green card1. My

older brother concluded a deal with one of his friends who was leaving in North Carolina state;

to allow me stay in his house for six months. Hoping that, I would be able to get my own

apartment in that time. The fact was, I had five hundred dollars in total, no enough to support

myself; all my saving was spent for the trip and some left to my wife. I get my first job in

America after one month, and it was a manufacturing work: lifting, packing, As in many

warehouses, this one was also full of black American, speaking slang for friendly and job

communication. I was like a deaf and mute, on the other side, threating to be fire for lack of

any type communication. As solution, I developed friendship with one of the black people named

Travon. Travon was amazing; he helped me to understand different type of slang used for

friendly or job communication. I was then, able to understand and express my ideas in the same

way, for example: using QC in place of Quality Control; finder in place of Hard work;

expression like do not work hard but smart standing split task in multiple simple task in order

to make it easy, just naming this. The ability of understanding slang helped me to keep the job.
Furthermore, speaking slang was still not enough, since this is not an academic

communication way, I needed Academic English I said to myself. The frustration feeling

remained in me, as if the sky was coming down on my heard, a literate man becoming illiterate

in another country. While I began to question myself, make some reflections on the issue, a

friend of mine came to ask me to help his sister. I know you are smart, an intellectual guy, and

you are able to help her, he said, and added she still struggling to complete her online GED

classes, can you do something for her? Yes, I said without hesitation if you dont take back

the books, they can be given to me as salary. We concluded the deal: my job was to read her

1 Green card: it is the resident permanent card, given to an individual when obtained the permanent

resident status
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textbook, to comprehend them, and then explained to her in easy ways. I read about sciences

(biology, geography, economy, mathematics, Physics, etc.), English composition. More I was

reading, the most academic knowledge was gain, and to me more easily I was able to explain

material. In this, I can demonstrate that, doing the tutoring session to her was so important to me.

Using my reading resource could help her, at the same time I help myself. I had increased my

English communication; to do so; I need vocabulary, verbs, grammar, and more practice.
I accomplished my responsibility after two months of working, I read almost hundreds of books,

she graduated with As grades.

Moreover, on my side I was astonished, it was like I a completed translation from French

to English of many sciences, mathematics, and other academic knowledge I had, I came out as a

new man, new vocabulary began to come to my moths, my reading, comprehension skills

increased, writing skills began to get sharp. For instance, I could have seen the difference was

only in term of word but science, and concepts remained the same. In mathematics, for example,

in French we say theoreme in place of theorem in English; puissance in French, Power

in English; in physics, la vitesse dun corps in French velocity of a body in English; in

French we say la chute libre dun corps de masse donne sans vitesse initial linstant donne

in English it means the Falling object with mass at any time with initial conditions. This,

experience was my turning point in term of motivation, perseverance, self-teaching, and push me

to another level.
The new level was more exciting. After six moth of my arrival date, I get my own place. I

decided to register to ESL program2, where I met a wonderful teacher MS Janet from Japan,

an immigrant like me. She shared with me, her personal experience in this term: found yourself

a place, where you can practice every day with native American, she added regardless any

mistakes you can made in your literacy process, practice will sharp you. Once in the lab, she

2 ESL: English as Second Language

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introduced me to some software like Rosetta stone and other. This experience had strong impact

in my English learning, after spent forty hours in the lab; I was tested, and passed the test with

high grade. The grade obtained, implied to be enroll to a new program EFL3, more efficient

academically. I decided to do not attend the program but to transfer associate degree to one of the

university.
Before begin the university career, I set up two goals improve my academic English and

bring my wife in America. The first goal was accomplish during the FOEFL4 preparation.

TOEFL test was required as first steps for transfer from aboard studies. To do so, I changed the

job, working now as receptionist. In this job, I was able to accomplish the two goals; while

working for money, I was preparing for the test. The job provided professional trainings; I was in

permanent contact with native English speaker form all over the country. I accomplished then my

goal and Ms Janet advice. I passed TOEFL test; today, I am together with my beloved wife we

have two beautiful sons Abishai and Elijah.

Above all, as immigrant in America from French literacy language, illiterate in English

language, experienced challenges when learning English as second language. Using reading

ability, gained from previous school education as my starting resource. The power of adaptation

motivated me, implementing solutions from rhetorical thinking. Assisted by multiple forms of

sponsorships: from self-motivations, tutoring others, teachers, books to trainings; I was able to

change my English ignorance to English literacy. English knowledge a key for my success, open

many doors and set met in different level. Today, I am transfer student at University of North

Carolina at Charlotte; I feel more confident when reading, writing, and speaking and listing

3 EFL: English as a Foreign Language

4 TOEFL: Test of English as Foreign Language

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English. I am proud of myself, helping other new immigrant in my community who are facing

the same experience.