With English-speaking confidence, shyness disappears

“Moving to the United States with my family actually has made a huge impact on me. When I was living in the Philippines, I was so shy talking to foreigners. But now that we’ve lived here for almost three years, I’m not that shy anymore. I’ve gotten used to speaking with Americans and people of different races.

“It’s taken me a while. What really helped was working at Target. As I continued to talk with co-workers and customers, my vocabulary increased. I began to feel more comfortable interacting with people.

“I continue to learn new words and kind of the slang way to say some things. Like the word sweater. I used to pronounce it ‘swe-tur.’ Now I’m used to calling it ‘swe-dur.’ More relaxed, smooth like that.

“I’m 21, and I grew up speaking Filipino, even when we lived in Saudi Arabia where my mom worked as a nurse. So I’m not perfect with my English yet. But I’m working on it.”

— Xavier Tupag