Produced by Jieun Kim, Flor Salgado, and Maureen Smith.
Hello, I am Arthur Campos. I’m originally from Brazil and I moved to the United States, to accompany my American partner. We are currently living in Philadelphia and it has been an amazing experience so far.
I’m a very dedicated and passionate person, who loves new adventures and experiences and although moving to the U.S. wasn’t in my plans, I took on this challenge; seeing it as a chance to achieve my dreams and goals. Unarguably, the U.S. has better educational and professional opportunities than Brazil, and as a prospective graduate student and a new professional, I see this experience as a unique stage of my life.
As I mentioned before I never intended to live in the U.S. before meeting my partner, however, the last six months I’ve been living here surprised me in so many good ways. The City of Philadelphia is amazing: its streets and row houses are really charming, it is very walkable, the weather is not very cold in comparison with other American cities, the food is delicious and there is a big restaurant culture here. Which I personally love!
Regarding my experience as an immigrant, the fact that my partner is American helps a lot, I must admit. However, living in a different country, with a different language and habits isn’t an easy task to anyone. I went back and forth through all of the “bad” adaptation phases: lack of self confidence, loneliness, homesickness, etc. Indeed, it is hard to express yourself in a different language and also very easy to feel like an outsider; therefore, I’m constantly encouraging myself to get out of my comfort zone, trying to meet new people, attending English classes-lectures, doing volunteer work, enrolling in a local sports league, etc. Things that would make me feel home and more confident to face any difficulty that I might have as an immigrant.
And that was how I ended up learning about Let’s Talk Philly. I was browsing the Public library free courses web page when I found out about the conversation circle, so I promptly hopped in. It was undoubtedly the best decision I’ve made. I’ve been studying English since middle school, although I was very familiar with the language, nothing compares with living in an English speaking country; and LTP helped me build this speaking confidence.
I was enrolled in a twice a week session, which I personally consider to be a good learning time, due to the fact that the sessions weren’t that far apart from each other. During the conversation circles we’ve talked about a wide variety of topics, from hobbies to mindset, it was always very pleasant to learn with others’ perspectives. My favorite topic, though, was music; mostly because I was able to learn about different artists from different countries. They also give you the chance to be a facilitator for one class, and although it might sound a bit scary, my experience as one ended up being very enjoyable, and in addition to sharpening my English skills I was able to improve other personal skills, such as organizational, timing and leadership. Not to mention the good friends I made within the group, especially with Coral and Akane, who were the facilitators of my circle. They always came to me with a very supportive and friendly approach, making me feel part of the Let’s Talk Philly community.
Based on my personal experience I can assure you that the conversation circles from LTP are the perfect environment for someone who wants to develop their English skills, enhance their personal confidence and meet different people from all over the world. I can assure you that every soul I met during the circles was very kind, respectful and supportive. Thus, I strongly recommend Let’s Talk Philly to any immigrant who is feeling insecure or even a bit sad about living in a different country. If someone asks what Let’s Talk Philly is like, then I would say, Let’s Talk Philly is like ‘a friendly Oasis in an unfamiliar place.’ This is the right place for you to work on the feelings of insecurity and difficulties living here. Because in the end LTP is not just about improving your English skills, but it is also about your wellness, especially if you are living in a foreign country.
