My bio

My name is Juana Sanchez. I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, but just until i was 9 years old and moved to the United States. I was born on February 8th 1994, so right now I'm 17 going on 18. I went to Freeport High school until my junior year , which is in a little town called Freeport in Long Island ,NY. Then i finished highschool in Hostos Lincoln Academy in the bronx. Moving from one place to another in the middle of my junior year really affected me and my academic career. But at the same time it made me stronger and who i am today because i had to learn to meet and deal with different types of people and new responsibilities. I am now a Liberal Arts Major at La Guardia Community College. I speak both English and Spanish. Being bilingual to me has become both a gift and a skill because i can communicate with different people all around me, which shows how important language can be. I like to say that i can talk two different kinds of English and two different kinds of Spanish. I can speak standard academic english, which is the kind you learn in school or the type you use while in a job interview. But at the same time i can speak a dialect of english, which is what i use when i talk to my friends or people im close. And the same goes with spanish. Knowing two languages could also be a disadvantage for me because even though i prefer to speak english, i tend to mix both languages and cause myself confusion. This doesnt happen much often anymore but when i was younger it was kind of what blocked me to learn english quicker. At times i didnt even know what language i was thinking in and it was kind of fascinating but scary and confusing at the same time.I remember in grade school, some of my classmates would make fun of me and because i didnt know the language i didnt know what they said and couldnt defend myself. As a little girl i felt that since i was in an american country i wouldnt really need my language, but growing up i learned otherwise. Now i understand the importance of being bilingual and keeping my language alive no matter where i go.