MY APPRECIATION

   My First Teacher in the United State

        I had never studied English in my country before. When I came to the United States, I met Mary Garrison, my first English teacher. She is a beautiful lady with large, vivacious blue eyes, and soft glowing hair. From her eyes you can see friendliness, candid, and tender. 
        When I first went into her class, I got homesick and I missed my parents a lot. I wasn’t happy at all. In addition, I was a shy person and I had never spoken in public. She was always encouraging me to speak in front of the class. 
        There is one thing that I can never forget. My eyesight is very bad and therefore, I was afraid of driving. I had never wanted to try getting my driver’s license. One day, one of Mary’s friends came to LA to visit her. He was a lawyer. When he found out I was afraid of driving, he said to me, “ In the Unite States, one hundred people can drive, but one hundred people cannot play piano.” Mary said, “ That’s right. You have to be strong because you are very capable. Go for it.” So, the next few days I started studying the test for the driver’s license. I passed the written test but one of the DMV employees wouldn’t give me the permission to take the road driving test. He said that one of my eyes had poor vision, and that I would have to see an eye doctor for permission to drive. I was so sad that when I got home, I called Mary. I told her everything that had happened. Mary said to me, “Don’t worry. Let’s talk to a doctor.” The next day, Mary took me to the eye doctor. The doctor checked my eyes and said to me, “You are fine. Tell that DMV employee that in the United States many people drive with one eye.” So, that is how I got my driver’s license! This was a big accomplishment I had ever achieved. I felt great. (I am so sorry that I can’t remember the name of my teacher’s friend who encouraged me to get the driver’s license but I still remember him. I wish someday I could see him again.)
        When I was in her class, I didn’t know English at all. She taught me lots of vocabulary.  I didn’t know enough words to express myself in English.  But as my knowledge of language and everything else grew, I could ask and answer more and more questions, and I would return again and again to the same subject, eager for more information.  This was another big accomplishment I had. I know without her help, this would be impossible. Through all these years of my struggle with language and adjustment to a new life here, she has been always there. As a language teacher, she knows how hard it is for the people from other countries to adjust the life here. Besides, she had wonderful ability to describe things. When she was teaching, she made every subject seem to real that I remember everything. Whenever I was sick, she would call me up and comfort me and nursed me through those painful hours. One day I had a stomachache. I called her to tell her. She was so worried that she might misunderstand me. She kept asking me, “ Eyes ache? Headache? Nose ache? Until she was sure I was stomachache and she came and took me to visit the doctor’s office.
        Mary is not only my first English teacher but also my best friend. In first year here, I moved eight times.  Every time when I was moving, Mary would drive and help me to look for an apartment for me. And her husband, Michael would help me to move from one place to another. They were driving from Best Buy, Good Guys to Costco looking for the furniture and TV for me. Twelve years later now, I still have the  TV, which Mary and Michael helped me to buy. She filled my life with love, joy and meaning. She has shown me the beauty in everything. She has always tried to make my life sweet and useful.
        A few years ago, Mary moved to Malibu Beach. We couldn’t see each other that often. But my heart is filled with sunshine from Mary that still warms me. There is so much pleasure in it for me.  In her noble soul and love were mixed with faith. I will remember it forever.