I loved the worlds that words could take people to.
One day, my family got some good news. We were moving to California! My dad’s sister is American. She was able to petition my dad to be able to move to the U.S. It took over 20 years, but it was finally happening.
I had mixed feelings. I was leaving all my friends behind. I didn’t have a choice in the matter, but I thought of the bright side. This was a chance for my family to start fresh, in a country full of opportunities.
We arrived in California in February 2010. We settled down in Anaheim, Orange County. The weather was a big change from what we were used to in Manila. It was drier! While the summers were hotter, the winters were so much colder. There were some familiar things in California. Palm trees are everywhere, and the beach was a short drive away. California felt so much more diverse to me. I could meet people from just about every ethnic background. It was eye-opening how all these different cultures could live together in one area.
Eventually, I went back to school. First, I went to the local community college, Cypress College. I joined the school paper again. I met some of my best friends there. At Cypress, I met my true love: The study of languages. First, I was just taking some language classes: Japanese, Portuguese, German and French. Then, I took an introductory course in linguistics. Linguistics is the science behind human language. I was hooked.
Soon, I transferred to my current university, California State University, Fullerton. I continued majoring in linguistics. I learned about the structure, history and culture behind the world’s languages. It’s all very fascinating stuff. I could probably talk about it for days on end.
