Why I want to learn Malayalam:

Thank you for checking out my blog. Here is a little bit more about me and why I am motivated to write about learning Malayalam in the digital age. I will start from the beginning. The first language I ever learned was Malayalam. Its what I spoke with my grandparents. My parents spoke it at home. It was a part of my identity from the very beginning.

Then as a toddler, I started playing with other kids who spoke English and I quickly picked up that language too. It seemed like I was going to have a typical bilingual childhood. The issues started around when I went to India for the first time when I was four. I only spoke Malayalam there for six months and completely forgot how to speak English. When I came back to the US and was about to enroll in kindergarten, my parents freaked out. My dad thought I would be bullied for not speaking fluent English and forbade any Malayalam in the home.

I eventually relearned English and went on to school. I learned all the things taught in school and my accent slowing began to transform into an American accent. By the time I was eight, I had completely forgotten everything about Malayalam and my culture.

This is when I went to India again. I was not able to speak to my grandparents or communicate with most people. I spent a month there and slowly relearned the language. My parents then decided to head back to India every two years and stay for a couple months at a time. I became fluent again. I could hold conversation and tell jokes. I really came to appreciate my language and culture. I was proud to be a Malayali.

Sadly, since the age of twelve, I have only been back one time. Although my parents no longer forbid me speaking Malayalam, I have been accustomed to speaking English with them. I did not practice my speaking skills and let them decay. This also came at a time when I was simply trying to fit in. My high school was nearly all white and I did not want to put a target on my back by speaking another language.

Now that I am in college and proud of who I am, I want to reconnect with my culture. I want to be able to speak Malayalam again so I can feel connected with my homeland. I have also had an interest in learning to read and write for a few years. I learned how to speak Malayalam prior, but I was never literate. In just the last few years there has been such a flood of Malayalam content entering the digital world. I am very excited to explore the vast array of resources that I have at my disposal.

Thank you again for taking the time to visit my page and learn more about me. For me, learning Malayalam is more than just adding a new language under a resume. It is about connecting with family, embracing tradition, and being proud of who I am. If you feel the same, I encourage you to stick around and engage in my future content.