“English is my first language, I learned that when I was a baby because it was the only language my Filipino mom, my Turkish dad, and I (the only born American) could understand, a medium of sorts. I later started speaking Spanish with my mom’s side of the family as a sort of introduction to Tagalog (since the two languages are very similar), so much so that I’m practically fluent now. The other languages I know (but aren’t as extensive as English or Spanish) are in this order. Tagalog, Turkish, Japanese, Chinese, and the smallest amount of German and Swedish. Tagalog because of my mother, obviously, and Turkish because of my dad. I’ve taught myself the basic survival needs of Japanese, my Chinese friends taught me the survival amount of Mandarin I know, German I know because of my cousin who has been feeding me bits and pieces of phrases, and I know the smallest bit of Swedish because my boyfriend teaches me some words occasionally. I’ve used my different languages to get to know people better at a more personal level, rather than just talking in the one language we all know and understand, which is English. Knowing the ins and outs of a different language is just something that makes someone else happy when they realize that you want to get to know them not just as a person, but someone to realize and recognize their culture and wants to learn more. It’s really awesome when I meet someone who speaks one of the languages I know at school, and when I start speaking their language their eyes always light u with this sort of spark, like a new chance or opportunity has presented itself. This knowledge helps me to connect with more people on a more personal level and allows me to make more friends,” Vural said.