Four years ago, I left my hometown, where I have been living for 13 years, to the United States. The journey lasted only one day, but it seemed one year to me because I wanted to get here immediately. I wondered the new life in the United States. I believed everything would be wonderful. After I arrived, I realized that how optimistic I had been before. I didn't know one English word, didn't know how to write one complete sentence. How could I learn things in English? However, I was lucky, for my parents sent me to a bilingual school.

Students in the bilingual classes were taught in Chinese. Almost every teacher could speak Chinese. It made us easier to communicate. My ESL teacher usually gave us vocabulary words and asked us to translate them and make a sentence for each word. Or gave us short, easy stories to read. These teachers knew our backgrounds. They taught us patiently. The people sat around my shared the same culture and background with me. I didn't need to worry about to be embarrassed in front of the whole class because of my special pronunciation. These were some of the reasons why I liked to stay in the Bilingual House.

Bilingual education allows students to learn both English and their mother languages at the same time. Thus, I'm still learning Chinese now. It benefits me with more work opportunities because I have a specially ability. A company might prefers to hire a employee, who speaks both Chinese and English, then sends him to China or Chinese society in the United States to do the business with Chinese in order to seek out more markets.

I can't imagine if there were no bilingual classes. Several months after I went to school, my teachers put me into the regular class because the bilingual classes were too full. I was nervous to sit in the strange classrooms with strangers. Every day, I listened the words flowed from teachers' months, but comprehended nothing. In the end of this term, I got a very low average. I once swore that never be in the same situation again.

Now, I can read and write in English, but I don't want to transfer out the Bilingual House. Partial because I like this program because it makes my transition easier. Partial because my friends are here. I have heard that this program in California was cencelled. I think they should reopen it because this program is good and easier for immigrant students.