Have you ever been in a room where no one speaks the same language? It can be scary. It can be frustrating too. But I think it’s a good experience to have.

    For me, it happened in my ESL (English as a Second Language) classroom. I was 13. My classmates and I were all new to the United States. None of us spoke English.

    I had come from Afghanistan, a country in Asia. My classmates came from countries like China, Guatemala, Sudan, and Jordan. We communicated using hand gestures and Google Translate.

    We were different in many ways. We spoke different languages. We had different skin colors. We wore different clothes.

    But we were the same in one big way: We were all newcomers.

    Have you ever been in a room where no one speaks the same language? It can be scary and frustrating, but I believe it’s an experience everyone should have.

    For me, it happened in my ESL (English as a Second Language) classroom. I was 13, and my classmates and I were all new to the United States. The only thing we had in common was that none of us spoke English.

    I had just moved here from Afghanistan, a country in Asia. My classmates came from a number of other countries, including China, Guatemala, Sudan, and Jordan. We communicated using hand gestures and Google Translate.

    Looking at all of us in that classroom, it was easy to see the differences between us. We spoke different languages, had different skin colors, and wore different clothing.

    But we were the same in one important way: We were all newcomers.

    My family left Afghanistan in 2021. We had wanted to move to the U.S. for years. I was excited for our new life.

    In the U.S., things were different. Back home, the houses are made of concrete. Here, they’re made of wood. Back home, I lived in the desert. Here, everything is so green!

    The biggest difference was the language. My first language is Farsi. It has a different alphabet than English. And it’s read from right to left.

    When we got to the U.S., I didn’t speak English. I could only say hello and introduce myself. I couldn’t read signs or talk to people. It was overwhelming!    

    When my family left Afghanistan in 2021 after trying for years to move to the U.S., I was excited for our new life.

    In the U.S., everything felt different. The houses back home are made of concrete, and here they’re made of wood. I also couldn’t believe how green everything was after living in the desert!

    But the biggest difference, and the most challenging one to adjust to, was the language. My first language, Farsi, has a different alphabet than English and is read from right to left.

    When we arrived in the U.S., I could only say hello and introduce myself in English. Can you imagine going somewhere and not being able to read any signs or communicate with anyone? It was really overwhelming!

    It also felt strange to stand out. Many Americans can tell I’m an immigrant. I speak English with an accent. And I wear a hijab (hee-JAHB). That’s a head covering worn by some Muslim women.

    Muslims are people who practice the religion Islam. It’s one of the biggest religions in the world. In Afghanistan, no one would stare at me for wearing a hijab. That’s not the case here. Some Americans don’t understand why I wear one.

    People have told me to take off my hijab so I can be free. They’ve said it’s not OK that my family makes me wear it.

    In truth, not all Muslim women wear a hijab. I don’t always wear mine. Sometimes I don’t have time to put it on. But I feel more comfortable when I wear it. It’s my choice.

    In the U.S., I’ve met different types of Muslim people. In Afghanistan, only men can go to the mosque. That’s our place of worship. Here, everyone can go. We meet people from all over the world.

    It was also overwhelming to stand out. To many Americans, it’s obvious that I’m an immigrant. I speak English with an accent, and I wear a hijab (hee-JAHB)—a type of head covering worn by some Muslim women.

    Muslims are people who practice Islam, one of the biggest religions in the world. Nobody in Afghanistan would stare at me for wearing a hijab, but that’s not the case here. Some Americans don’t understand why I wear one.

    I’ve had people tell me to take off my hijab so I can be free. I’ve also heard them say it’s not OK that my family makes me wear it.

    In reality, not every Muslim woman wears a hijab. I don’t even wear mine all the time.

     Sometimes I’m in a hurry and don’t have time to put it on—but I do feel more comfortable when I’m wearing it. It’s my choice.

    Something I’ve enjoyed about living in the U.S. is meeting all different types of Muslim people. In Afghanistan, only men are allowed to go to the mosque, our place of worship. Here, everyone can go—and we get to meet people from all over the world.