What I Really Know American Dream Learn English Language AARP Bulletin
What I Really Know: American Dream - Learn English Language - AARP Bulletin
Of course, I knew I would encounter some communication problems at the beginning of my new life, because my English proficiency was limited to what I had learned in English classes from middle school through college. But I thought this problem would be spontaneously solved as I continued to live in this country, just as I had learned the Japanese language rather passively while we were under Japanese occupation.
But as soon as I arrived, I became involved in a busy schedule of retraining in my professional field, a surgical specialty of medicine, and then a busier private practice. So I did not have much time to pay attention to other fields. Occasional difficulties during conversations with patients disappeared rather smoothly. As I was more settled and started to pay attention to other fields — such as community affairs, newspapers, magazines and literary works written in English — I became aware of the fact that my English proficiency was not satisfactory. I started to learn English again, this time teaching myself, tackling the dictionary whenever I encountered unfamiliar vocabulary. But with very limited time to spare for this and my ever-advancing age, the progress was very slow.
After I retired from my practice a few years ago, I immediately registered at the local community college and started with English 101. To sit among the students whose average age was 18 or 19 — this septuagenarian had to summon up a big gumption.
My progress is still slow, though. I attribute this to two factors. One of them is age: I realized that a language has to be acquired during one's young age. The other is the fact that my native language, Korean, shares not a single iota of etymology with English — unlike the shared roots among European languages.
All these difficulties notwithstanding, I am resolved to continue my endeavor. To master the language of my new country is my new American dream that I had never dreamed of before.
The AARP Bulletin's What I Really Know column comes from our readers. Each month we solicit personal essays on a selected topic and post some of our favorites in print and online. Young C. Shin is a reader from Aberdeen, Md.
Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures
About the American Dream Learning a Language
While I was crossing the Pacific 41 years ago on my way to this country as an immigrant, I had many American dreams in my mind — of wealth, fame, successful and prosperous children, and so on. But there was one thing that I had never dreamed of, or worried about, and that was the language.Of course, I knew I would encounter some communication problems at the beginning of my new life, because my English proficiency was limited to what I had learned in English classes from middle school through college. But I thought this problem would be spontaneously solved as I continued to live in this country, just as I had learned the Japanese language rather passively while we were under Japanese occupation.
But as soon as I arrived, I became involved in a busy schedule of retraining in my professional field, a surgical specialty of medicine, and then a busier private practice. So I did not have much time to pay attention to other fields. Occasional difficulties during conversations with patients disappeared rather smoothly. As I was more settled and started to pay attention to other fields — such as community affairs, newspapers, magazines and literary works written in English — I became aware of the fact that my English proficiency was not satisfactory. I started to learn English again, this time teaching myself, tackling the dictionary whenever I encountered unfamiliar vocabulary. But with very limited time to spare for this and my ever-advancing age, the progress was very slow.
After I retired from my practice a few years ago, I immediately registered at the local community college and started with English 101. To sit among the students whose average age was 18 or 19 — this septuagenarian had to summon up a big gumption.
My progress is still slow, though. I attribute this to two factors. One of them is age: I realized that a language has to be acquired during one's young age. The other is the fact that my native language, Korean, shares not a single iota of etymology with English — unlike the shared roots among European languages.
All these difficulties notwithstanding, I am resolved to continue my endeavor. To master the language of my new country is my new American dream that I had never dreamed of before.
The AARP Bulletin's What I Really Know column comes from our readers. Each month we solicit personal essays on a selected topic and post some of our favorites in print and online. Young C. Shin is a reader from Aberdeen, Md.
Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures