Language excerpt

When reading Run to Overcome by Meb Keflezighi, I was especially drawn to a passage early-on in the book.

Social life is also difficult because of language barriers. Even if you are the most interesting person in the world, you need to be able to carry on a good conversation to relate to people. Also people start to just you this way and that way, even before you have said a word. I also found it very difficult to communicate to the best of my ability when people made fun of me and my accent. This was especially very true in the early stages of learning English. To deal with problems like these I think it's best to not be shy. What worked for me was I got involved in sports. Once the students saw me run and play soccer, they started to be friendly and introudce me to their friends. Also, I found it best to be open-minded about other people instead of making assumptions about them or their character ...


My time in Turkey has made me feel a kindred spirit with Meb in these words. So many times I sit right next to someone unable to say more than a few things. It is not that I am shy. It is not that I am rude. It's just that I can't say more. Language is a huge stumbling block and can change a person from the inside out.