As I stroll down the aisle and up the stage to acquire my diploma, I will have the same exhilarating feeling that I had experienced three years ago. When I graduate next June I will have graduated from two schools: high school and Chinese school. Subsequently, I will be fluent in three languages: English, Mandarin, and Spanish. .
From the initial years of my childhood to the present day, my parents have conveyed to me the importance in keeping one's heritage. I concluded that attending Chinese school and studying Mandarin would be a good way of exploring my heritage. After spending countless hours drawing the Chinese characters that I had learned from school the previous Sunday, I would then memorize them to add to my daily speaking vocabulary. The cultural lessons presented in Chinese school allowed me to have in-depth discussions with my parents, thus providing them the opportunity to share their own experiences with me in a more meaningful way. .
Pursuing my studies of Mandarin has affected my life in many ways. I am more knowledgeable about Chinese culture and I am now able to communicate using the quickest expanding language in the world. On a daily basis, I have conversations with my family using Mandarin and I am able to communicate effectively with my cousins when I visit them in Taiwan. Being fluent in Mandarin inspired me to study another language. Even though taking a language in 6th grade was not mandatory, I decided to learn the Spanish language. Consequently, I have spent the past seven years studying Spanish and I will have completed the highest level of Spanish courses offered at my high school when I graduate. After convincing my family to host two exchange students from Spain last year, they agreed to open our home to another student this fall. I plan to participate in this year's exchange program so that I can go to Spain and improve my Spanish-speaking skills and bring my knowledge and enjoyment of Spanish culture to another level.