Biggest Challenge Essay Contest
Honorable Mention	Different Countries, Different Sign Languages by Bushra Khan W.T. Woodson High Fairfax, Virginia

Bushra Khan

In 1980, I was born a hearing child. A year later, I was sick and became deaf.

My parents had gestures with me. I didn't go to school until the age of three.

My family moved to China because my father is a diplomat. I went to school in China. There were many students who could hear there. I was the only one who was deaf. I did not learn any education because I had no interpreter. I had lots of friends who could hear. I used signs with them. We were talking and playing.

In 1986, we moved to the Netherlands. There was a school for the deaf in the Netherlands. My parents really did not know how to speak the language of Dutch.

I went to the Effat School for the Deaf. There were many students that were deaf there. I did not know how to sign in Dutch. The teacher gave me pictures and words. I learned to sign. I taught my mom, sister, and brother, but my father was too busy.

I learned to sign and write in Dutch.

In 1990 we went back to Pakistan, where I was born. I went to a Pakistani school. I observed students who used signs, then I knew Urdu sign language. I taught my mom. I still know how to sign in Dutch with my brother and my sister at home. While my mom taught me English, I forgot to use Dutch.

In 1993, we moved to New York. I went to P.S. 47, the school for the deaf in Manhattan. I have learned how to speak and write English. I have observed students who sign American Sign Language. I learned to sign fast. My family didn't learn ASL. They felt it was too hard and too different for them. My family still uses Dutch and Urdu.

Being a deaf student, coping with day to day life is a challenge for me. Since my dad is a diplomat and he has to move to many places, it is always a challenge for me to learn new spoken and signed languages. I have always worked hard and faced all the challenges with courage and bravery. I enjoyed learning about different cultures.

Now I am in high school. I have my biggest challenge—which is to get into college. I am not a U.S. citizen. So I have all the more reason to meet this challenge, work very hard, and be useful to America so that I can get my green card and work permit.

This is the only country in the world where I can make my future. This is a very big challenge for me and, with the help of God and the support of my teachers and family, I have every intention of meeting this challenge.