One Good Thing about America

September 14

Dear Oma,

We go to my new school today. It is VERY BIG. Mama and me and Jean-Claude we walk from the motel and find school. Mama write and write many papers for the school. A man come. He speak English and French and help us. I tell Jean-Claude to stay calm but he is bad boy. A lady bring the crayons and I tell Jean-Claude to play with them.

Many many children are in the school. 400 say the man. Yes 400. Vraiment. Really. It is like the city. And my school at home in Congo is like one little house. I tell the man I get lost. He say I do not. I get lost. I know it.

We sit at table in little room a long long time. The students go by and look at me. Also they mayke noise. A big noise all the time. I do not like my new cloze. The man say the word is itch. He write it for me. My new clothes itch. I am nine years old so I am in the forth grade say the man. I hope that is good. I tell Mama to tell the man I am good student but she does not no the English. I no many more English than Mama. I tell the man I am good student. I go tomorrow for my first day of school. This night I am talking in mirror in bathroom and saying Hello Good morning Hello Please Thank you. Jean-Claude think I am funny. I teach him to say Hello My Name is Jean-Claude. He think he is funny now also.

We miss are friends. We stay in a room in there apartment when they get us at Boston airport but they need the room so now the shelter people put us in motel. We have two big beds and a bathroom. Soon we will move to apartment in shelter. Move move move.

I miss my old house. I miss the mango tree with my tree house. I miss you and my friends. I miss Papa and Olivier. Do you hear from Papa? Mama and I worry for him very much. I look out the window to see the stars. Les étoiles is much more pretty word than stars I think. You tell me before I leave home les mêmes étoiles the same stars look down on you and me and they take care of me like you take care of me. I want the stars to take care of you and Papa and Olivier. But I no see stars.

Why do you say I have to write in English? You can not read it but have to take my letter to my old teacher to read for you. Please let me use le français. I am very tired with English today.

Mama tell me to write hello. Hello.

Bisous,

September 15

Dear Oma,

Ok I go to my new school this day. Mama and Jean-Claude take me. I do not want to go. I stand outside and Mama talk to me. Talk talk talk. I not go in. A lady come. She open the door. Mama give me hug and push. I am not happy. Not not not happy.

In the BIG school I get lost. I know it. No one speak our langage. I meet my new teacher. Miss smile and say many words. Very fast. A long long river of words. Mabe English mabe not. I not know what Miss say. I say yes yes yes. One student think my name is Yes. I tell the class my name one two three times. The students say my name but it not sound like my name. No one can say Anaïs. Miss say How Do You Spell That? Miss ask if she can call me Annie. I want to say no but the words do not come fast from my mouth. I am Annie now.

I am happy to go home and stop the yes yes yes. I am happy to be Anaïs again. It is good to be with Mama in the room at motel. I even am glad to see Jean-Claude. I am nice to him and play with him. Our friends bring us food and we eat with them. I do not eat the food in school. Do you no Americans eat fingers from chickens and sticks from fish? Now I no Americans are very very CRAZY. Complètement fou!

Do you hear about Papa? I hope he is safe. Mama say I can not write very much about him because it is not safe to put things in letters about him. In case a bad man see my letter. I hope Papa and Olivier come to America soon. If they come to America then you are all alone. I think mabe you need me to come live with you. Please tell Mama I can come. You are my Mama’s Mama and she listen to you. I take care of you and cook for you and we talk together. I tell you stories of CRAZY AMERICA.

Bisous,

September 17

Dear Oma,

Ok school is no good. You no when I get first in English at my school at home? Tell my teacher Monsieur I speak English here but the teachers and the students look at me like I am crazy. Me? But I want to say I am not the crazy one. I feel like the baby of my auntie. So I say no thing. I look and look at the faces. I am like a big cat with yellow eyes. I try to read what the faces say but the words go to fast. The words go like the wind and I can not catch them.

I can do nothing so I go to the machine with a hole. It take pencils and make them good. It is fun and make BIG NOISE. My teacher tell me to sit down. But I have to raise my hand and ask for the batroom. Miss do not know what I say. I say I have to pee. The students think it funny. Now I do not like English no no way.

It is much much better if I live with you. Here in the motel it is no home. I do not have my friends or the little yellow and black birds in my mango tree. If I live with you I sweep and work in your garden and make you tea. Olivier is with you but he is 15 now and is no good for cooking and making tea. I can tell you stories of crazy America and make you laugh. Do you miss me? Please let me come.

Bisous,

September 20

Dear Oma,

I am very happy to get letter from you! And thank you to Monsieur for writing it! I am happy you are well. But you and Mama say I have to work hard and write you in English? And now you and Monsieur say I have to find one good thing about America every day? This is a very hard job. Or maybe impossible! It is much better to find good things about home with you like your bananes plantain that I miss very very much.

There are many many hard things about America because English is a CRAZY language. The letters we call voyelles are vowels here. They are a e i o u. They always are sounding different! And I am sorry to say they are in every word. Miss say they are tricky. They always are changing like snakes. The tricky vowels are in the students names like Jayden Jaylene Januel Josiah Joshua Jordan Jenna Jayla Jacob. I think Americans like names to start with J.

Please write to Mama and tell her you want me to go home. Then I do not have to learn all these J names.

Ok I want to go home with you but I tell you one good thing for today. In America students wear no uniform. I wear my new clothes that itch. The students ware diffrent clothes and backpacks. My teacher give me a backpack today. She look happy when she give me the pink backpack. It had a girls name in it. I give it back to her. I hate pink. She look sad but then she give me a black backpack. It has a yellow and black bird on it. I remember the yellow and black birds at home when I see it. Jenna say the bird is called a batman bird. I love my new backpack!!!!

If you talk to Papa please tell him we are good. Tell him we miss him! Olivier too. Is Olivier liking his school? Tell Olivier to write me a letter. In English! Do not tell him but sometime it is a little bit nice to not have a big brother to tell me what to do. I am the oldest one now!

Bisous,

September 22

Dear Oma,

Today was a bad day. We have to hurry to line up for PE the same word for the gym and the same word for the cafeterya. Jenna say I cut her. I did not. I promise. My teacher tell me to go to the end of the line. I do not know why Jenna say I cut her. I had no thing to cut her with!

Jenna look mad at PE and recess. I look mad at her. At lunch she spill her milk and I laff. It is funny. So she hit me and I hit her. Jenna is not a nice girl. In the classroom Miss make us sit at Quiet Island.