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Meng Xiong Eng1102 Ms. Ingram

To Be Me
Its very exciting and difficult being me. I was born and raised in Thailand for the first twelve years of my life. I had three sisters and eight brothers. I was the fifth child. As far as I can remember, I was working and hunting with my dad when I was about nine years of age. During every Spring I would attend school on weekdays and work during weekends. I would go with my dad up to the mountain to carry bamboo and sell it to pay for my education. I had to work hard in order to pay for books and bus fee to the school. School and bus ride were not free. The bus ride to the school, which was about an hour way, would cost $120 dollars per month. My parents would have to paid $480 dollars every month just for my three brothers and I to go to school. Life was very difficult. When I was about twelve years old my family moved to Tumkabo. After being there for several months we were given an opportunity to come to America. It was a very exciting journey as well as a strange experience. We get to walk around this huge building, which I came to know that it is called the airport, and ride the escalator for the first time. I did not know that I was in an airplane until we are almost in the United States so I was only able to experience the sky for a short period of time. Everything here in the United States is very different from what I was used to see back in my village. The big, tall building and houses were made of bricks, glasses, and others fine building material rather than bamboo and wood. The bed was also different. I remember my brothers and I would jump up and down on the bed because it was very soft and bouncy. Life in America is fascinating.

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Meng Xiong Eng1102 Ms. Ingram

(Bamboo House) As we settled down and started school, my family started to learn English. Its very different and challenging because the languages I know and the English languages had nothing in common at all. The alphabet of each language was so different from each other. Thais alphabet consists of forty-six character and it has vowels that go in front, top, or after the character depending on the words. Hmong language is also different from Thai and English language. In Hmong language the alphabet consists of seventeen single consonants, twenty double consonants, fourteen triple consonants, and three quadruple consonants. Its also contains six vowels. Five of the vowels are similar to English vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and the six one is W. The sound of alphabets and words are also different. These differences made it difficult to learn and speak English. Being unable to speak English I could not make any friends because I didnt understand them and they didnt understand me. However as I started to play soccer I began to make friends. Playing soccer is a great way for me to practice my English because I need to communicate with my teammates so that everyone knows where to go or know what to do. As time when by I started to pick up on English and it becomes easier to learn and speak. Even though I started to improve in English it was still hard for me to understand most of the grammar rules. I struggle with grammar rules every time I write.

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Meng Xiong Eng1102 Ms. Ingram

(Hmong)

(Thai)

After being in the United States for two years my English had improved greatly and I can communicate with the people around me more fluently. With a better understanding of English I started to see the importance in education and focused more in education, which was provided to me free by the federal government. I took this great opportunity and seek for a better future through education. I attend school every day and work hard to get the highest grade I could get. I completed high school and become the first person in my family to attend college. Im hoping to get a Bachelor degree in Biology and then continuing my education in medical school. Im currently living off campus and drive to UNC Charlotte whenever I have classes. At UNC Charlotte, I play intramural soccer in the fall and spring. I met a lot of Hmong people at UNC Charlotte through sport and I join the Hmong Student Association to participate and help out the community. On my free days, I would focus on studies and hope that one day I would reach my goal and become a pediatrician so that I can help the people in my community. Every day is full of adventure and challenges for me as I try to reach my goals. Life flows like a river. There will be rocks, there will be holes. Make sure you can swim and not just float. Dont dream but rather swim To the ocean.

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Meng Xiong Eng1102 Ms. Ingram This is what its like to be me. I started working at a young age and get to travel to the United States where I get to see new things and challenge myself to learn and understand the Americans culture. In America, I focus in school and hope that one day I would get a better life and be able to help other people around me. The experiences that I gain in life are what make me who I am and they are what make me unique and different from other individual.