Immigrants find survival in learning language

These immigrants realize they need English to succeed here and these volunteers are helping them. Some are illiterate in their own language and must learn English to become citizens, help their own children and hold jobs, etc. DP

English skills » Volunteers teach English to people new to the country.

By Jennifer W. Sanchez, The Salt Lake Tribune

Thirty-five-year-old Nyanjur Bagadalor has never been to school in her life.

In war-torn Sudan, she stayed home to do house chores while her brothers got an education. She grew up speaking Dinka and later picked up Arabic.

But that didn't help Bagadalor when she moved from Africa to Utah in 2000. She couldn't speak English. Traveling with her two young daughters, the refugee managed to make it here with strangers pointing her in the right direction.

"I didn't know anything," she said in almost-fluent English with an accent. "I felt sad."

Today, Bagadalor is studying the language with the help of a volunteer through the English Skills Learning Center (ESLC) in Salt Lake City.

The nonprofit agency matched Bagadalor and Heather McMaster through its one-on-one tutoring program.

For seven years, the pair have been meeting almost weekly in Bagadalor's kitchen or living room in her cozy downtown apartment while she cares for her now four children, ages 3 to 18.

"The little ones are usually crawling all around us during our lessons," said McMaster, a retired nurse who lives in Sugar House.

Bagadalor said learning English has been difficult because she's never studied reading and writing in any language and rarely used a pen; she and her husband were trying to adjust to the U.S. and raise their family; and she worked the night shift loading mail until she was laid off last month.

But, her hard work and McMaster's dedication have paid off.

Bagadalor took the U.S. citizenship test -- the first exam in her life --- more than two years ago and passed. She also passed her driver license test last year.
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