Hello,

my name is aisha

I started my school years in an Arabic school
Where all my teachers and classmates were speaking Arabic

After completing the second grade my parents decided to take me to an English school

At first I didnt realize how huge the change was

But when I took my first steps in the small, yellow classroom
I knew that everything was different

My teacher does not speak Arabic, she only speaks English

She came forward and said something to me

I didnt know what did she just say
I looked at my father waiting for him to explain

He told me that she was asking about my name
He told me that Ill be fine and left

I sat down and my teacher began speaking
I wasnt in the classroom with my teacher and my classmates
I was somewhere else
Where I was sailing a boat
Flying a plane
Or maybe riding a horse to nowhere

I didnt feel that I belonged there
All I was hearing was nothing but meaningless sounds coming from people around me

I wasnt scared at all
I was confused
But I tried to act normal and do what my classmates are doing

When the bell rang
I was sitting on my chair waiting for the next class to begin
Thats when I heard two of my classmate talking to each other
IN ARABIC
I felt as if I were deaf for the past hour
And suddenly could hear again