ABSTRACT
It is Monday, December 1 1997. Her first day in school in America. She is excited and looking forward to be enrolled in the 6th grade. The grade is so important to her. The 6th. Her 1st language – both oral and written – is functional by now, but with a lot of grammar to be still worked on. Her second language – English – is limited to a few words and expressions. She wants to discover how it feels to be with other children from many countries and different backgrounds in a school environment. She had learned some English in a summer camp at one of the public schools in the area when she visited a few months earlier. So she has some experience. She wants a fresh start. A possibility to succeed. In an environment where nobody knows her. And where her past is past.
