Jumble of Words

My kind is few and far between. We're the Americans who, for one reason or another, are in love with the culture of a country other than our own. We feel pride in knowing we're American, and we look back kindly onto our childhoods full of American tradition. But it's that other culture that makes our hearts skip a beat or our stomachs do flips whenever we hear reference to it. Somehow this culture crossed pathes with us and since has been the passion of our lives. We work, study, and play tirelessly absorbing all we can about this foreign love. Vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation become a jumble of words in our heads while we try to catch up with the native five-year olds who already have the adavantage. We don fashions new and bold, eat exotic foods and observe customs unknown to us. All for the purpose of feeling that goofy smile creep up on our faces as we find ourselves in the culture of these people a world away.

Throughout my own life I have been exposed to so many different cultures, many of which have become my life's passion। My father has been in the U.S. Navy my entire life, to which I owe all thanks. I was born in Hawaii, beginning a succession of moves that has lasted my entire life. Moves to New Orleans, Louisiana, Jacksonville, Florida and Chicago, Illinois took me across the beautiful United States of America. But it was the move across the Atlantic when I was eleven that changed my life forever. The Navy had taken us to Sardegna, Italia. Once, years ago, I heard an Italian man state with passion and confidence that Sardegna was the last paradise, the queen of them all. His words come as close as can be to a place so wonderful that human linguistics can never describe perfectly. After Sardegna was London, England. True to her word, she still tugs on my heartstrings. After spending the majority of my adolescence in Europe my family and I moved back across the Atlantic during my sophomore year of high school. This time it was Norfolk, Virginia where I met a few people who opened my eyes to even more cultures. About a year after I moved to Virginia I met a Mexican boy. Although we are no longer friends it is still true that it was him who first introduced me to the Spanish language and the exotic culture of Mexico.

Ever since I was a little girl I've had a fascination with India. I believe it stems from watching The Little Princess and hearing the story of Ram, Sita, and Ravana। The beginning of my senior year, I met my very own Ram. We quickly fell head over heels for one another. Next week will be our two year anniversary. These two years have been a marvelous introduction to Indian and Hindu culture. Chalk full of saris, choriya, bhangra, roti, bollywood movies, and "mai tumse pyar karti hu"s.

Because of my experiences in life I am now a sophomore in college majoring in Spanish and French and studying Italian and Hindi. These languages are my passion and I hope to share them with the world someday.