Tree of Life
MY STORY: English language learners from Portland Adult Education share their story in their own words.
Guylain Kombe
My name is Guylain Kombe. The signification of Guylain is the name “tree of life”, and Kombe is a family name. My grandpa liked the name because it’s a name in our family.
My mother’s name is Georgine Luila. She is a teacher, and she lives in D.R. Congo. My father’s name is Nestor. He is also a teacher and lives in D.R. Congo.
Both of my grandmothers were teachers. My father’s father was a politician. They lived in the city of Kinshasa. My mother’s father was a forester. His name was Armand. They lived in the province of Kinshasa.
I am married. I have a wife and three children – one girl and two boys.
My neighborhood is near Portland High School. I like my neighborhood because it’s a new city, but my neighborhood is dirty. The apartments smell bad. The neighbors sometimes sell their things to other neighbors. The rice at the market in my neighborhood is expensive.
I was happy when my sister called me to say “Happy Anniversary for your marriage!” I had not talked with my sister for a long time. I told her “You forget my date.” She says “I know your date is Nov. 24”.
About learning English: It’s hard to remember new words. Pronunciation is difficult. It’s hard to adapt to the climate, the clothes, and the food. Sometime I was afraid to call somebody. I have difficulty to go to the store and hospital. At first I didn’t understand where is the sidewalk for people to walk. It’s hard to know the laws in USA.
