Sarah Kane

Rogers
Writing 1010
The first time I saw Mira and Basharo was in Mr. Perezs classroom. They
blended in perfectly with his math and science class with their hijabs and long dresses.
They sat there silently in the unknown world of America. One week prior, they entered
America, not knowing what to expect. None of the people in their group from Somalia
understood what Mr. Perez was saying. I met them a few days later. I soon found out
how little they knew compared to the average high school student and how glad I was
that I knew enough English to learn what I can now.

I was in an internship program helping Mr. Perezs immigrant class at

Cottonwood high school as a high school sophomore. I mostly talked to to immigrants
and was friendly to them so they could improve their English and they could get used to
their new American life. I did just that until I met the Somalian girls. Mr. Perez told me
one day that some Somalis arrived at the school about two weeks ago. He asked if I
would like to help them while he taught the rest of the class. I didnt know what to
expect, but I said yes.

The first time I helped Mira and Basharo could be considered a failure. We all
walked to the Cottonwood library, where we would be working. As we were walking, I
asked simple questions about their names, ages, language, country, etc. I didnt expect
them to understand after two weeks, but surprisingly they understood and answered in
slow and accented English. At the library, we talked about basic words like desk, paper,

pen, pencil, etc. I tested them, and that seemed to go well. But later I found out that the
country these girls came from didnt give them the opportunity of going to school. I didnt
ever learn about anything they ever learned because of the language barrier between
us. They didnt know what the purpose of a binder, a book,a pen, or a pencil. I decided
to learn more about them and do better next time.

After a while, I realized there might not be a next time. I had a schedule change
and I was transferred to a different period. Mr. Perez didnt have a class then, so I
decided to switch to helping other immigrants after school. I did that for a little while, but
it didnt feel the same as when I helped Mira and Basharo. Eventually, Mr. Perez asked
if I wanted to help in another teacher, Mrs. Alsop, who taught English. I helped in a
beginning English class. The first time I walked into her classroom, I saw Mira and
Basharo! I know that I would be working with them a lot.

Sure enough, I did work mostly with the Somalian girls.They had improved so
much over the two months since I had helped them first! This time, we talked about
sentence structure, in the library again. The school got a translator for the Somalian
immigrants. His name was Said. We found it easier to connect with each other this way,
partly because they spoke more English and partly because we could talk through a
translator. I found it simpler to make the girls laugh and have fun. I realized that even
though we are very different at first sight, we all had strong similarities.

Said was a great help to the girls. They wouldn't understand something, and Said
was the only person who could help them. Or they would be unmotivated, and Said was

the only one that really knew what they were talking about to each other. Or, they would
be falling asleep in class and all they needed was a sharp Somali word to wake them
up. After a short time, I realized that Said simply understood Mira and Basharo. He also
immigrated to the US from Somalia. There were reasons other than ethnic or cultural
reasons that Said connected with them better.

But soon, there were no language barriers, or at least smaller barriers. I

eventually started reading second grade level books with them, and as far as I could
see, they understood them! I no longer had to make little lame jokes to keep them
motivated, because they laughed at every strange word or name in the book. I still dont
know if that was because the words were just new for them or if they meant something
in Samoli that they were teasing me about. I dont know if they understood what they
were reading well, but they did have fun.

When the year ended, I didnt see them anymore. This experience really helped
me want to help immigrants out more often. I saw really how much they needed help,
and how much they appreciated it in the end. Being able to communicate with other
people in the US was a foreign thing to them for a long time. They improved a lot over
time. I realized that really was the point of my internship- to see people improving and to
help them improve. This internship gave me the opportunity to see that there are a lot of
people in the world that need our help, and that we that live in a place that has
educational opportunities should take advantage of it.

I havent seen Mira or Basharo for about 6 months, but I hope that what I did

helped them somehow. I dont know whether they go to Cottonwood still or if they went
back to Somalia. They really worked hard to learn English, even if what they were doing
wasnt what they wanted or expected from school. Sometimes they slept in class, or
they looked like they missed their native country, but still they worked hard. Especially at
first, they didnt understand anything the teacher was saying. Later it was better, but
they still struggled a lot. I know that their teachers were impressed with their work.
Hopefully, wherever they are, what we did to try to help them has helped them in some
way.