I grew up speaking English and only English, so I don’t relate to Amy Tan in that way. But my educational and familial background has always been a dual curriculum: Hebrew and English. It meant class went to 5 pm, and the curriculum contained 20 classes at once, always. It was a great, and I loved it, but it also meant there was an added extra stress. Or 20 of them. A dual curriculum meant one period I was writing in Hebrew, and the next in English, and after that I was back to Hebrew again. It was different than a typical schooling experience. When I came to apply for college, there were classes on my transcript that the people who were looking at it couldn’t read, let alone pronounce.

While there is nothing in my situation that could have been thought of as a language barrier, or handicap, I think that in the same way that mine was a privilege and advantage, so was hers. Part of the beauty of living in America, is that most people are dual-cultured. We have the incredible privilege of being fortunate to be part of both the American culture, and the culture of our ancestral links. America wasn’t founded until 1776. Even if someone can trace their ancestors back to the first immigrants, there is still a traceable lineage before that. And it’s important to recall that both are integral parts of our lives.

Speaking a different language is not a handicap- its an advantage. It gives you yet another language and culture and lifestyle to be proud of.