ESL，what formally should be written as English as a Second Lan-guage．is basically an English course set for foreign students who have troubles with the language using．Like all those new foreigners here，I was asked to take ESL first，too．As a teenager who came to America forthe first time．I had no idea of what an ESL is．I still remember being seriously anxious on the first day before school．
The day I first came there was very unforgettable for me．I very carefully stepped into the room and before that I had been carefully re-minded to be polite．By the time that I was just in the room，I soonfound it all unnecessary and was greatly surprised．Students there were crazily dancing and some of the girls were just making up in front of the teacher when I stood by．The teacher was an old lady who we later called as Ms．T．She looked indeed friendly and it seemed that she was a casual person with the acceptance of fashions that students caught．Later in the class time，she asked students to introduce and I soon knew them．
Students here could be mainly divided into 3 groups by the conti-nents they were from，which were Asia，Africa and Latin America．To-taling up together，we had boys and girls from Korea，Mongolia，China，Congo，Sudan，Mexico and Honduras．They were all extremely passion-ate to the new students．My worry at once disappeared because of their kindness．I considered ESL as one of my families．
Later in interacting with them，I gradually knew that some of them were associated with a very sophisticated and even grief story．The girl came from Mongolia had already had a divorced family when she came to America．A boy from Congo fled to America for the war in homeland．He lost his dad in the war and now lives with his twelve brothers and sisters in Iowa．Many Africans said that they were not even supposed to be in a school if they had not come to America．Being with them truly guided me to learn to value the life and people．Their strong desire of seeking for a better life touched me．Though I had to leave them even-tually but never would I throw the spirits learnt from them，a group of special friends．
Staying in ESL class was relaxing indeed．Not only did I feel easy taking the course，but I also got to communicate with people same with me．It was true that where we came from，what languages we spoke，what backgrounds we experienced and the kind of things we enjoyed were different．However，we were under the same roof of America as foreigners．In doing assignments，we might have to face the same chal-lenge and language hindrance．I always felt having more topics with them much more than American people．
In Ms．Tiffany’s ESL．things were much easier than what we learn in English class in China．However，things we learnt here and what we did in class could not be explained simply．American people from my perspective are all commonly emotional．When there was a festival whichever it was，ESL would have to stop the class and hold a party．Ms．Tiffany would prepare us colorful paper and crayons asking us to make a card for festival．As we made．she would always took a cake or some cadies out to share with us．We Were even allowed to turn on the radio and dance to the music there．Even on the Valentines Dav．Ms Tiffany spent a whole class celebrating it．When each of us received achocolate，I began to realize that in America,this was not only a day celelbrated by aduts but also lots of kids and teens．Fur thernlore．Ms．Tiffany often played English movies on TV and just let us watch them the whole class．During the days of illegal immigration issue in the U-nited States，she turned on TV and watched the live of protests with us together．She once even gave an exam of this controversial political top-ic in which we were asked ahout all kinds of news and to raise our own opinions．Having an exam of political event is something I never experi-ence in my original school．I never had a textbook in ESL．English learning I felt here was the association of the culture，life and society．To some degree，English learning I experienced here Went beyond the book．
That was my ESL．Wherever I wiIl go in life．what I am definitely sure is that I will take those colorful memories with me．forever．
