Learner Spotlight: Meet Sungheui

Welcome to our monthly Learner Spotlight!

We invite you to meet Sungheui, our featured student this month in our “Learner Spotlight”. Featured adult learners represent the Literacy Council’s literacy programs, including authors from Reflections: Voices of English Learners, the Literacy Council’s literary magazine, as well as adult learners in other programs. Sungheui contributed stories to the fourth edition.

My name is Sungheui. I am from South Korea, and a musician, a Soprano. I moved to Frederick at the end of 2010 and love it here so much. Soon I joined the Literacy Council. At first, I was not getting involved in the classes, because of lack of self-confidence.

However, I returned there in 2017, and enjoyed a writing class very much. Learning English is about finding myself, who is always bubbly, and confident.

Thus, I love learning English so much at the Literacy Council, even though English is crazy difficult.

We hope you enjoy Sungheui’s stories, “To Me English Is …” and “A Stranger”. Read about Sungheui and view all of our students’ stories on our Reflections: Voices of English Learners web page!

“To Me English Is …”

I feel that you are excessive to me.
I sense that you are extravagant to me.
I observe that you are the vastness to me.
I notice that you are so sophisticated to me.

So, I cannot approach you.
I cannot reach out to you.
I cannot acquire you.
I cannot even nudge you.

But you are always attractive to me.
You are every time charming to me.
You are at all times engaging with me.
You are still beautiful to me in my mind

Despite that, you make me, who has known just one side,
shrink due to lacking general knowledge.
For the most part, when I express my words.
My mouth does not shape my thoughts,

which is what I hate. It seems so rebellious,
especially my tongue is not able to swivel occasionally.
They do not look like my good colleagues,
even if the language is vertical or horizontal.

Throughout those obstacles, I assume that
I am getting closer to you more, little by little.
Although, I feel like I am on a Roller coaster.
There are few crescendos and tremendous decrescendos,
but you are still enjoyable at this moment.

Because you give me much of the learning joy,
you permit me to find my true self,
who perceives the delight of edification, and confidence,
you show me that my life will be more enhanced.
Over all, you grant me this precious legacy

Read more of Sungheui’s stories on pages 44-45 from our 4th edition of Reflections.