¡ Si, se puede !
As you can see, knowing a foreign language gives you privilege. You too can achieve fluency by implementing some of the tips and taking advantage of the resources on this website.
Hi, I’m Jameelah
So, Who Am I and What is My Language Story?
My first living abroad experience was during my sophomore year at Iowa State University where I participated in a study abroad program in Morelia, Michoacan and Madrid, Spain. I eventually ended up getting my masters in UNAM. As a teacher working for DCPS, I participated in a teacher exchange program and spent a year in Aranda de Duero Spain. My son spent his first schooling in a Spanish preschool. I was pregnant with my second child while living abroad. Living as an expat was not new to me but it was evident that my Spanish ability determined my living ability. Fast forward about ten years later, I was offered a teaching job with the US Department of Defense in Japan. My knowledge on the importance of speaking the local language really hit me. Suffice to say that I am struggling with Japanese. (I speak rudimentary or transactional Japanese) and can empathize with the reader. I hope this website reduces some of the anxiety and intimidation in communicating with the locals.
My Language Story
Even though I grew up in one of Chicago’s most impoverished and segregated neighborhoods, 47th Street on the south side, I was born with a global spirit. I was always curious and attracted to other cultures, ways of living, languages, and faraway places. I had a special interest in the African presence of Latin America and later went on to conduct and produce research on this topic.
My Inspiration
My best friend in college was a guy named Bernando from Argentina who spoke English, German and Spanish. He would always lecture me on the importance of knowing multiple languages. This was the beginning of my journey to becoming a bilingual world citizen.
My sophomore year in college at Iowa State, I completed a study abroad program in Morelia, Michoacan in Mexico and in Madrid, Spain. I became hooked on Spanish and Hispanic culture.
After graduation, I was offered a full scholarship by the Mexican government (Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores- SRE) to attend La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in Mexico City, Mexico where I graduated with a Master’s degree in Hispanic Linguistics in 2001.
My sophomore year in college at Iowa State, I completed a study abroad program in Morelia, Michoacan in Mexico and in Madrid, Spain. I became hooked on Spanish and Hispanic culture.
After graduation, I was offered a full scholarship by the Mexican government (Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores- SRE) to attend La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in Mexico City, Mexico where I graduated with a Master’s degree in Hispanic Linguistics in 2001.
So, how did my global spirit shape my life and improve my socioeconomic status?
I developed this insatiable need to not only to travel and explore, but to raise my children bilingually and expose them to other cultures.
This travel bug led me to:
-Accepting a job offer teaching Spanish for with the US Department of Defense which would allow me to teach at any of the 11 countries including Bahrain, Germany, Cuba, Italy, Spain, and where I am currently, Japan.
-Travel to 22 countries including Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Cuba, and Venezuela.
As a foreign language learning advocate, I have:
- Been invited by the Foreign Service Institute in Washington, DC multiple times to speak to US parents moving overseas about raising their children bilingually
- Authored the book, The Global Child: A Handbook on Raising Children Bilingually in the Washington, DC Area (2003) – currently out of print
- Co-founded a Saturday language immersion school the World Language School of Washington
- Appeared in Child Magazine (November 2005)
- Contributed to the Minority Rights Group International publication, No Longer Invisible– Mexico (1995)
- Raised my children multilingually in Spanish, French, and Japanese
The torii gates of Kyoto, Japan
