Ivan came to America at the age of 15 from St. Petersburg, Russia. He is now 47, has a family, and works as a freelance computer programmer. When talking about his English language skills, Ivan told me (translated from Russian):
I did not speak English [when I came to the US]. I was learning French in school, in Russia. […] No, I did not take [English] classes. The year we came here, that summer I went to work in a camp and I picked up the language. Yes, of course, [by interacting with other people] and then school solidified and expanded on what I learned.”
