As the year ends, I am proud to say I have completed Digital Media with a Montagnard Documentary style video. My video is about the language of the Dega People. In addition to Vietnamese, there are over 30 dialects spoken in the Montagnard community. I think that language is such a rich part of a persons culture because it is the actual means of communication between people. I think the sounds of the language of the Dega people are also beautiful. To get the interview from Khin, the amazing woman in my video, I went to the Montagnard Dega Association located in Greensboro, North Carolina to ask her some questions about her language. I also was fortunate enough to be able to sit in on part of an ESL class and talk to students learning English. The experience was extremely humbling, because it made me realize how difficult it is to come for a foreign country and immigrate to the United States, and not speak the language fluently. I believe that all of the Montagnards are very strong people who have the courage to come to America. The students who I spoke with in the ESL class were truly trying to learn English in order to better their lifestyle in the United States. When I reflect on this, I think about the millions of Americans who only speak one language. I do think it is important to at least dabble in multiple languages. Since America is known as a "melting pot," and a country full of people with many different descents, I think if we tried to understand each other language we could be more understanding of people with different beliefs. Though its a small step, it is a step. As more and more people immigrate to the United States it is important to speak different languages.
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