When I first came to the USA, I didn't speak a word of English. Thrown into kindergarten a month after my arrival, I learned by observation. One day, my teacher asked me to lead the class in a clapping exercise, and since I was mostly non-verbal, silenced by the language barrier, gesturing to connect with my classmates - I shook my head side to side in a half-circle to signal, "yes, I will lead the activity." The teacher looked at me and turned to the class saying, "everyone, let's show Shriya how we say "yes" and "no," leading the class is shaking their heads up and down or left to right. I didn't realize it then, but it was my first interaction with ostracization, feeling left out and, ultimately, othered - not knowing why my way of signaling yes was wrong and why theirs was right. The reality is, it was a culture clash with no right or wrong answer, just a lack of understanding.
If you are somewhere in your American assimilation process, and need some guidance, I would love to help
Services
All clients are charged one rate of $50 per 30 minutes. Sessions can be conducted over audio chat, video chat, or in-person based on proximity. Please use Venmo or PayPal for payment to @shriyaboppana or shriyaboppana@gmail.com. Please include name and email in purchase description.