Life in America
Mari during her first year in America at a concert with her mom and sister.
New Experiences
When Mari first got here, she quickly became nervous because her first language was Portuguese. The only English she knew was the most basic words from her English language class in Brazil. She heard her mom talking daily to people in English and she could not understand what they were saying. This made her nervous about how she was going to communicate here. She also began missing her friends in Brazil. Despite these negative feelings, Mari still had fun with her family exploring America together.
"I was so nervous about speaking English. I was like 'Oh no what am I going to do!?"'
Hardships
Other kids bullied Mari because she had an accent. They asked her to say things they knew she would say wrong and then laughed in her face. This occurred all throughout 6th grade, her first year of school in America. After getting made fun of for a while, Mari started watching YouTube videos to learn how to say words. She spent three months learning how to say the "th" and "r" sounds. These sounds were extra hard because they do not exist in Portegeuse.
Adapting
Through 6th and 7th grade, Mari took an ELL (English Language Learners) class. She was still struggling but she progressed. Time passed and Mari continued leveling up her English skills. Mari felt very confident in English in 8th grade - she was ready to call herself fluent. That year, she began feeling comfortable talking in English to classmates and making friends. Fast forward to 11th grade, Mari took her English skills to AP English Language!
Mari with her first English-speaking friend in 8th grade.
"English finally hit for me."
Mari and her grandma in American restaurant.
Staying in Touch
Mari usually FaceTimes her family in Brazil at least once a month to stay in touch. Last year, Mari's grandma and whole family came to visit from Brazil. Her grandma stayed for 9 months which made Mari happy because she missed her Grandma so much.
Life Now:
Mari is currently 17 years old and a senior at Needham High School. She is now taking on a new language in AP Mandarin. Through high school, she gained many new friends that she hopes to continue to be friends with after graduation. Last year she got her driver's license as a 16-year-old. She felt very lucky because the legal age to drive in Brazil is 18. After school, Mari works at a daycare where she takes care of children and helps them learn English. Mari's mom currently works at the town hall in Framingham as an economic development specialist.
As a Needham High School student, Mari loves going to Dunkin Donuts for lunch every day. This is now her favorite fast-food place in the United States. Her favorite drink is frozen hot chocolate and her favorite food is hashbrowns. Mari also comes to Dunkin Donuts on weekends to crochet with her friends.
In her free time, Mari enjoys going to get boba tea with her older sister. Her favorite drink is matcha milk tea with boba. Mari and her sister also love reading books together. They often suggest books to each other and discuss them.