It was the first day of class. Two of Tara's new ESL classmates, both from Iraq, asked where she was from. Because Tara looked Iraqi, they asked if she was from Iraq. Tara said no. They then asked if she was from Iran, Syria, or Jordan. Tara answered no to each question. One woman laughed and said, "She's not from anywhere!" They then went to their desks, speaking Arabic.
The next day, during a group activity, another student asked Tara where she was from. Tara answered, "Iraq." The two women from the previous day were sitting nearby and heard her.
"Aha!" they exclaimed. "You ARE from Iraq!"
Tara smiled, apologized for lying, and explained her reason: she did not want to get into an Arabic conversation. In her experience, many ESL students kept speaking their native language in class, but she had come to practice English, not Arabic. She believed ESL students should try to speak only English.
"I agree," said Rose.
"You're 100 percent right," agreed Jennifer. "Rose and I must stop speaking Arabic to each other. Right, Rose?" Rose nodded, then said something in Arabic. All three laughed.
Over the next four months, Tara became friendly with both women, but she never spoke a word of Arabic to them during class or breaks.