Language and Experience Project

Gianna Langrehr

Mr. Wojo

Human Geography

January 4, 2011

Language and Experience Project

            I will be interviewing my family friend who is named Fabian Murillo. He is originally from Bolivia, but moved here to Maryland when he was a younger child. I talked to him about what it was like to transfer from a life in Bolivia to a life here in the United States.

GL: How did you begin to learn the new challenges of the English language and the way we speak?

FM: Although it was very hard, I eased into the language pretty well. I was at a young age when we moved so I was still learning the Spanish language. I just was around people who spoke English all the time. It was either learn English or not understand what was going on. Even though I still speak a lot of Spanish, English has become semi-easy for me.

GL: What was the hardest part of learning English compared to learning Spanish?

FM: I would have to say the hardest part of learning English would be the lingo that people use. I could not really understand what some of the people were saying because they used terms I didn’t know. Another hard part was talking to people I didn’t know. People are hard to talk to when you do not understand them, they get upset at you. It isn’t your fault that you don’t know the language yet.

GL: How has it benefited you to learn English?

FM: By learning English, it allows me to interact with people. It lets me speak to people who speak English or people that speak Spanish. Later on in my life, I will be able to say that I speak two languages so I could get a very good job working with people who speak other languages.

GL: Do you still speak Spanish at home with your family and close friends?

FM: Yes, I do speak Spanish with my family and friends at home. It just is second nature for us to speak it.

GL: Why?

FM: We still Spanish because it feels like you are truly home. When you grow up speaking in one language and then switch over to another language, it feels good to speak your old language. It makes me feel like I am back in Bolivia with my huge family and all my old friends there.

GL:  Why did your family decide to send you to school in the United States and move here?

FM: My family decided to move to America because we were struggling in Bolivia and my parents wanted our family to have good lives. We had a few distant family member in Maryland so we decided

GL: What is the difference between going to a school in Bolivia and going to a school in the United States?

FM: School here is very different compared to school in Bolivia. Here, there is so much more technology use. In Bolivia, I didn’t have a laptop, iPod, or cell phone. Now, all of my new friends have introduced me to it. Bolivia isn’t as up to date with all the technology as the United States, but I have kept my family back home informed with it. They even have Skypes because I told them about them!

GL: How did you get used to speaking English when before you always spoke Spanish?

FM: I got into the swing of speaking English all the time when I started school. I didn’t want to be known as the kid who didn’t know the language, so I just learned from practice and listening to people talk. It really helped when I watched television. It would speak things and type them on the screen. So basically, I learned English with the help of my friends and surroundings.

GL: What is school like for you now?

FM: School is challenging, but I have been getting much better at it. It is a bit of an adjust for going from Bolivia to here, but I believe that I have shifted very well. I know English is a difficult language to learn and I didn’t learn it overnight, that’s for sure.

GL: What is the biggest difference between speaking in Bolivia and speaking in the United States?

FM: In my hometown, we didn’t really use all of the figures of speech that are used here in the United States. There are many more words that have two different meanings which are harder to learn. The figures of speech are mainly the biggest difference because there are many more here than there are in Bolivia.  

GL: Well, thank you for allowing me to interview you.

FM: You’re welcome.