A Curse And A Blessing

Hello, my name is Khemeny Yim. People just call me Kim for short. I was born in Cambodia in a little town called Battombong. I came to America when I was three years old; so basically you can say I am "Americanize." Although my first language is Khmer, English is my preferred language. In my house, we always speak Khmer, but we also mix English in our sentence. You wouldn't think I would be born in another country, if you see me in person.

 

Well, I am not fluent in Khmer but I do understand it when spoken to. I know when to switch from both languages through out my life. When I am around my teachers, I would speak English because school is where I have to master English. When I am around my mother, she wants me to be true to my culture; so I have to respond to her in Khmer. I wouldn't say speaking two languages is difficult. I think of it as a blessing and a curse at the same time. Since, I speak a little Khmer, people think I know every word in the dictionary.