Timeline by Natalia Aguilar

Born in Texas (2007)

nagu4934 — 2024-01-24 18:22:06 UTC

My mother moved to Texas from Mexico when she was seventeen years old, and three years later she gave birth to me.

Living in Texas

nagu4934 — 2024-01-25 01:47:42 UTC

Spanish was the only language I learned while living in Texas because my mother could not learn English when she moved here.

Moving to Alabama (2011)

nagu4934 — 2024-01-25 17:34:56 UTC

I found it difficult to adjust to Alabama because I only spoke and understood Spanish and everyone else spoke English.

Going to school in Alabama

nagu4934 — 2024-01-25 21:19:18 UTC

Starting school in Alabama was hard for me since I didn't speak any English. My Spanish then started to fade after a while due to living in Alabama, but I could not fully let it go since I lived in a Spanish-speaking household. Going to school there made English my main language.

Moving to North Carolina (2015)

nagu4934 — 2024-01-25 21:22:53 UTC

At age seven, my mother, brother, and I moved to North Carolina to live with my stepdad. Due to this, I had to start learning Spanish again because more people speak Spanish here.

Going to school in North Carolina

nagu4934 — 2024-01-25 21:59:45 UTC

Entering school here was a big change since I was now going to a school where they teach both English and Spanish. Even though I knew how to speak English fluently, I was confused because I had to go to a different class due to English being my second language. ESL class made me improve both languages.

Now (2024)

nagu4934 — 2024-01-25 22:38:57 UTC

Moving to North Carolina made it possible for me to improve both my Spanish and English significantly. With this change, I can now translate for my mother when we go out somewhere and nobody understands Spanish. For example, nobody knew Spanish during my mother's dental appointment on Wednesday, so they asked me to translate. I was able to do this due to me improving both languages.

Overall

nagu4934 — 2024-01-25 23:51:16 UTC

Being bilingual is a very important part of my life. Without knowing Spanish I wouldn't be able to communicate and joke around with many of my family members. This also gives me the opportunity to assist others who do not speak Spanish or English.