After reading "Mother tongue" by Amy Tan

Last week I read one essay called "Mother tongue" written by Amy Tan. At the first time before I started reading through, I felt some of the similarities with the author as her name is Amy, same with mine, and also she speaks multi languages. She started the article with introducing herself and her mother who is Chinese, who also has asian cultural similarities with mine.

Amy shows her experience between her mom and other people about her mother's "broken" or "fractured" English, and I could easily feel the same way she felt. When I was new to Abu Dhabi, I wasn't a fluent English speaker, I could only understand some of easy words and it took me long time to communicate even with simple issues, such as asking what subject do I have for next period. I felt myself that I was the one who's using "broken" and "fractured" English. But as time goes, I started to getting more time to speak in English instead of Korean, as I spent more time in school and I only used my mother tongue at home, I gradually started to feel confidence about communicating in English. Until now, I feel like I don't speak perfect language in English, but I feel satisfied with it.

But now I'm having some issues between my mom and me. It's been 4 years that my family stayed in Abu Dhabi, but for my mom, the only time she gets to speak in English is only when she gets to to grocery shopping. Once I was young and didn't understand why she confuses with some of the phrases in English which has similar pronunciation. Once what happened with my mom and my friends, they were coming over my house to hang out after school, and my mom drived us there. After we arrived, my mom wanted to say that get your "baggages" from the car trunk, but instead of baggages, she used the word "garbages". I was young, and was still being such childish, I felt such embarrassment because of my mom. She knew that I was, and she started to learn English even at home when she has spare time. Now I feel sorry what I've done to my mom, and I understand her. Even though she doesn't speak a perfect English, she is intelligent the way she is, but she just cannot rephrase it in English. I am very proud of my mom that she is trying her best to learn English.

Nowadays I am helping my mom just like what Amy Tan did, I call people on the phone(my mom doesn't make me yell at them though), go to shop with her, and I just love my job becoming her personal translator.  I really enjoyed this article that has similarities with me and my mom.