Kusima from the Democratic Republic from the Congo was our student reader at Scrabble Challenge. She read one of her “Hear Our Voices” stories, telling of coming to the USA in 2004 and facing challenges with new food, her neighborhood, and especially language.
“Fortunately,” she says, “I heard about the ESL classes and they became my biggest helper. There I found people from different countries who had the same problems as I did. It was a big comfort, we learned more and more and the teachers were wonderful and I created more friendships.
"Now my goal is to think more in English . . . This will help me to speak more spontaneously and allow my thoughts in English to be free of the interruption of translation. Then I will feel more open and connected to people."
Kusima
