Charissa Profile

Clara Wehrman

Composition II

Professor Cryer

9/12/18

Daya: Multi-language Master

Developing the ability to communicate with the world around us seems to be an ever-changing process of the human condition. We must learn how to be engaged and attentive, but also how to articulate our own thoughts and feelings. It involves patience, consistency, and time. For someone like Daya Whar all these things come almost as second nature. Being raised in a multi-language home helped him develop these skills, and helped him find his place in his own Spanish-speaking community.

From a very young age Daya had an interest in other languages. He was introduced to seven languages as a child, and now in adulthood can still fluently speak four, including Punjabi, Hindi, English, and Spanish. He distinctly remembers asking his mother to help him with basic phrases. Reflecting on his childhood he says, “Back when I was in elementary, I remember hanging out with all of my Spanish speaking classmates. I would be around them and they would talk in Spanish and I felt like I was being left out. So every now and again I would ask my mom to teach me some Spanish.”  Although he started with basic phrases Daya’s interest in the language continued to grow. In high school he had opportunity to take a formal Spanish class which helped him to build on to his basic skills. Later on his job in a restaurant, which required interacting with customers and his Spanish-speaking co-workers, helped him become quite fluent.

Aside from the language itself, there are many other interesting facets of his Spanish-speaking community Daya enjoys. He says, “I really like the dance performances. I haven’t really participated in any of it, but I look forward to doing it sometime.” Along with dance he also enjoys some of the festivities and holiday celebrations that come with the culture. “Pinatas, for example, have always been part of the traditional Spanish celebrations. It represents evil, and the fruit and candy inside represent temptations, and the person with stick represents faith.” These festivities are all important elements of what brings and holds this community together. He talks about how having a strong community is very important. Families are very close, and the values of loyalty and respect have a lot of meaning in the Spanish-speaking and hispanic communities. He relates to this in his own life, with friendships and relationships declaring that, “I’m definitely better able to communicate and connect with members of my community.”

Daya explains that there are also fun aspects to his community that he enjoys. “So if I’m with a group and there’s two or three people who speak Spanish, and the other people don’t know Spanish, sometimes I can talk behind their backs. I feel like there’s benefits to that,” he laughs. Speaking Spanish has led Daya in all different directions. Most good, some bad, and some just funny. One of his first and favorite memories happened when he was very young. Thinking back to a time when he was in kindergarten he recalls, “My favorite memory as a Spanish speaker would have to be from elementary. This was when I was first introduced to Spanish by a few of my classmates. They taught me a few negative words to say to my teacher. I went up to her thinking that I was going to start a friendly conversation. Well, it didn’t go horribly wrong, but I was given a warning to not say the words again.”

Along with all of things Daya appreciates, there are also some aspects that seem a little strange to him. “Sometimes a person’s accent throws me off,” he laughs. “Growing up with a diverse exposure to languages has helped me to understand people more though.” From his positive experience, Daya has determined to continue speaking Spanish in hopes that it may take him to great places. He now has many friends who speak Spanish with him, which continues to help him on his way. Currently, he is taking another Spanish class which he finds very beneficial to maintaining and developing his communication skills. Just being able to understand what is going on around him is very important. “Honestly I just want to know how to speak Spanish. Every now and again I will hear people speaking Spanish in public and I will kind of eavesdrop to see if I can understand what they’re saying,” he remarks. “I want that as a skill to have, and hopefully in the future, maybe in a couple years, I want to travel to Barcelona or somewhere that they speak Spanish to become truly fluent.”

It takes work and dedication to master a new language. It also takes a commitment of the heart to continue to pursue a challenge like Daya’s with enthusiasm and excitement. In the long run his achievements with his communication skills will continue to shine through and benefit his daily life. Keeping up his language skills will lead him to great places, and certainly to new adventures as well.