English As A Second language ( ESL )

2010 Student Writing of the Month
2009 Student Writing of the Month
2008 Student Writing of the Month
2007 Student Writing of the Month
2006 Student Writing of the Month
2005 Student Writing of the Month
2004 Student Writing of the Month

Editor’s note: We printed many of these responses in our February issue.

Students respond to question:
Have you ever felt discriminated against while living in the United States?

(Editor's note: The story below comes from a student in a CBET class at Fremont Adult School in Fremont, CA.)

Angelica Martinez
A few times I have gone to the store and waited at the counter. No one waited on me, but they waited on other people while I was standing there, and I think it is because they spoke English. One time my daughter said that I should get their names and report them to their manager. Sometimes people who work at the stores, who know how to speak Spanish, won't speak Spanish to me. I feel they do it on purpose, but that is okay, we all need to learn English.

From West Contra Costa Adult Education

My hometown is Yahualica, Mexico
by Gabriel, West Contra Costa Adult Education, Richmond, CA
     My hometown has a rare name. Its name is Yahualica, Mexico. I think it is in the center of the country. Some areas near my town are good for farming, but it also has rocky land.
     The climate is nice. There are four seasons. Sometimes it rains or it's cold. Every season is different. The common occupation in my hometown is farming because there are no factories there. The people play soccer, go to bars or go fishing.
     My hometown is not really a good place to visit. It has nothing to see and it is not famous I like my hometown because I was born there and it is not a big city. It doesn't have smog or noise.

Our readers write from the Pacoima Skills Center in Los Angeles
(Their teacher is Sandra Henriks.)

My story
by Julia Sanchez
     My name is Julia Sanchez and I am from El Salvador. I came to the USA in 1990. When I came here, I missed my family and my country very much. When I came here, I worked very hard.
     My daughter-in-law and my two granddaughters are visiting me this month. Now I am working at night and studying in the morning.
     My goal in five years is to speak English very well and to get a better job.
     I have a big family, my mother, my husband and three sons. I have eight grandchildren! I also have eight siblings, four sisters and four brothers. I have a lot of nieces and nephews too. My eight siblings live in the United States.
     My hobby is to go fishing. I like it very much. I enjoy it because it's relaxing to me.

My story
by Maria F. Pena
     My name is Maria F. Cuero. I was born in Mexico to a big family of 12, four brothers and seven sisters. My father passed away several years ago and my mother still lives in Mexico. I came to California in 1986 and started working for a supermarket where I met my husband. I got married one year later.
Now my name is Maria F. Pena. I have two daughters, Carmen and Christy. Carmen was born in 1987 and Christy was born in 1991. During that period I stopped working. After my daughters were old enough, I started working for Fenton Ave. Charter School. I worked there for eight years as the supply room assistant. Now my goals are to get my G.E.D., go to college and later get a better job. On weekends, I like to go walking and at night, I like to dance and listen to music.

My story
by Kenia Enceda
     My name is Kenia and I am from Honduras. I came to this country on Sept. 7, 2005. I came here because I have two children and I wanted a good future for them. Now I am not working and I am pregnant. I am happy because I will have three children!
     I think in the next five years I would like to be the owner of a restaurant and I would like to live in my country.
     I'm married and I live with my husband, but my children and my parents don't live with me because they live in Honduras. When I call my family, I am very happy to hear their voices. They are always in my heart.
     In my free time I like to cook and watch TV.

Norma's story
by Norma Morales
     My name is Norma Morales and I'm from Durango, Mexico. I came to visit the U.S. in 1975 when I was five years old. I lived here for six months and then I went back to Mexico. In November 1986 I came back to the US because my mom was here. Now I'm working at a Denny's Restaurant. I have been working there for 12 years. I'm a server but in five years I want to be a manager for the same restaurant.
     I have a nice family, my husband, one son, two daughters and me.
     My hobbies are reading magazines, using the computer and going shopping. I like living in California. I think I will never go back to Mexico to live. I will go only for vacations.

This is my story
by Lidia Rosevelt Gutierrez
     Hello! I'm Lidia Rosevelt Gutierrez. My family and friends call me Rosie. I am from Guatemala. I came to the USA four years ago. I decided to come to work and help my father who is in Guatemala; he is 88 years old. My brothers and sisters are in Guatemala also. I call them as often as I can. We are a big family: actually we were, because my mother died ten years ago and my brother four years ago. I wasn't there when he died and I didn't say 'bye to him. That is very sad because I won't have his last word to me in my mind.
Now I'm spending my time studying English and I wish to learn it very well and find a good job. In five years I'll be going back to my country with my husband who is in the USA also. I'll be taking care of my dad and enjoy him as much as possible. I hope he will still be there for us. My hobbies are listening to music and I also like to dance.

My story
by Carlos Torres
     My name is Carlos Torres. I'm from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. I came to the United States ten years ago looking for better opportunities for my family and me. Right now I recently started studying English as a second language at the Pacoima Skills Center. This is my first day of class and I met my teacher. She looks nice.
     I will try to learn the most English as possible to get a better job and also to have better communication with the people who speak this language. I want to study a short career to learn something about machine shops. This career will take me almost three years to finish, so let's do it.
     Let me tell you about my family. I have been marred for 22 years. We have three boys and they are 21, 20 and 12. Two sons are students at Northridge University and I feel very proud of them. My youngest son is in the seventh grade at Byrd Middle School. My wife is the best. She is studying at this center too. She comes to get her G.E.D. diploma.
     My hobbies are doing sports like running. I played soccer for many years. Also I like to watch sports on TV, go to museums and concerts.

Our readers write
More stories from Evans Community Adult School, Los Angeles

The Obstacle
by Blanca Lopez
     In my country, San Salvador, I had an obstacle. I wasn't able to attend the school because of the civil war. When I was eight years old, my grandma enrolled me in a school which was close to my house. I was attending for two days when the warfare arrived. Soldiers told my teacher that the school would be their camp. In my village, we had only one school. Since I couldn't attend any classes, I told my grandma that I wanted to learn how to make dresses, skirts, and blouses. Then I asked my friend who lived in front of my house if she could teach me how to sew. I became a seamstress. I was working for three years, but in my dreams, I had always wanted to be a nurse. This dream has stayed with me. When I came to the United States, I began to study English. Now I am working in a convalescent hospital as a nursing assistant aide. Someone day I want to be a nurse. I have overcome my obstacle of not being able to read or write, and now I will be a nurse. That is my goal.

A Family Story
by Joaquin Delgadillo
     My family and I went to visit a friend, Mr. Dorantes, at his house warming in Hidalgo. He offered us an amazing array of special dishes. After dinner, my father, Aparicio, said he felt ill. We took him to the doctor who said “Don't worry, he will recover.”
     Later that night at our home in Toluca, my father told us that he had pain all over his body. Our family works as professional tailors and we had orders to complete, so while my dad was resting in bed, I worked at the cutting table to finish our contracts. Suddenly my mother called me to come quickly to my father. I ran to his bedroom. I tried to dress him for the doctors. He said to me, “Take care of your mother.” Then he died in my arms. My mom tried to revive him, but the angels had already taken him.
     The doctors said that our father died from a heart attack. My mother told me “You must cover the bills. I don't want any help from your siblings because they were never here to visit him.” She didn't cry and neither did I. We set about preparing for father's memorial service. At first, I didn't have enough money to cover the bills, but our friends in Los Angeles gathered their money together and sent funeral expense money to us. I tried to repay them, but they said it was their honor to help the Delgadillo family.

My Mother
by Dany Ly
     A long time ago my mother passed away, but I still remember all the moments I had with her. She tried to give me every thing I wanted. One day when I was six years old, she got a serious illness. Two years later, she became worse. I'm not sure what kind of the disease she had. The doctor said she needed surgery. She had three operations. I think the doctors didn't pay attention while they were operating. I think they only wanted money. On the day of the operations my mother departed from me forever.
     When I heard she died, my heart almost stopped working. I didn't know what to do. I cried until I fainted. While my family was celebrating her life at her funeral, I was in the hospital. I couldn't join the festival.
     My life became very miserable. My father become so depressed that he couldn't work. So my sister Eileen quit school. She took care of my mother's business to support the family. I still went to school, even though I was filled with grief. My sister helped with the business and I learned how to take care of myself. I thank my mother for giving life. I always felt warm and confident when I think about her. She is my support for forever. I always want her to be alive. I love and miss her.

A Transportation Obstacle
by Alex Osorio
     Transportation was difficult for me when I was growing up in Guatemala. I was attending high school in the mornings. The buses ran every forty minutes. They were usually packed and so I couldn't get on. I needed to take a twenty-five minute walk to high school and was usually late. My teacher, Ms. Ileana Rodriguez, had a solution. She suggested that I sell raffle tickets in order to raise money for a bicycle. The raffle ticket winner would receive a special book. My teacher supplied the winning book.
     I went classroom to classroom selling raffle tickets. I wasn't shy about talking to students and pitching the tickets. I made about $100. and was able to buy my first bicycle. It was red and blue and best of all, it was new. Every day, I rode my bicycle to school and was never late. In fact, I was always early by about fifteen minutes. With the help of my teacher and fellow students, I solved my big obstacle. Later when I graduated from high school, my parents bought me a black B.M.W. It wasn't new, but it was my second greatest gift.


How to Make Green Enchiladas with Chicken
by Adriana Mendoza
     Green enchiladas with chicken is a typical Mexican dish. This preparation is very easy and quick. First, you have to prepare salsa with tomatillo, green chili, cilantro onion, garlic and salt. Blend all together. If you want, boil the tomatillo and chili first for three minutes. Boil the chicken breast with garlic, onion, salt and a little piece of cilantro and shred it.
     When your salsa is ready, sauté a little piece of onion in a frying pan. Add your salsa and cook the ingredients for five minutes.
     In a separate pan, fry the tortillas for a few minutes. Try not to break them. When they are ready, put them on a plate and add your salsa, cream, cheese and the chicken breast. If you want, you can put some sliced onion on top.

A Tough Trip
by Carlos Osorto
          Coming from Honduras to the United States was a tough trip for me. It was a hot summer in 2001 when I decided to come to this country. I had always wanted to be here since I was a little boy. I was already eighteen years old and this was the perfect time for me to do it. I had just enough money to take a bus to the border of Guatemala and Mexico. But that was okay with me, because I knew that if I stayed any longer in Honduras, I could have died of starvation.
          I needed to take a very dangerous, horrible, and scary ride on a train known as “El Diablo”. This train travels from the south of Mexico to the north loaded with merchandise and thousands of travelers going to the United States. I put myself in a very hard situation. Sometimes I had to fight for my life. I had to steal food almost every day to get something to eat. Today I regret stealing but at that time I believed I would have died of starvation on the twenty-two day train ride through Mexico. Finally, after a month I made my dream come true.