Conflicting Voices

I cannot imagine having to cycle through different languages in my head on a daily basis. I have been raised speaking English at home and at school and I am not fluent in any other languages. The schools I have attended have never had a large minority population so I haven't experienced other languages through my classmates either. I would like to clarify that I am still culturally aware and have been enrolled in Spanish classes for years, so I'm not completely in an English bubble.

Writing is a struggle for many people due to their inability to successfully convey their points and opinions onto paper. Personally, I will talk your ear off about a topic but I find it hard to do the same through writing. The added stress made by having to decipher between two languages would do nothing but overwhelm me.

My voice at home and at school are not very different but there are some difficulties when I am trying to compose an academic project or paper. I'll be honest, I do not have a very advanced and colorful vocabulary. If I win an argument, it is certainly not because of all of the big words I use. This is partially due to the lack of importance a wide vocabulary has in my household. I'm not complaining, though. Growing up I never felt inferior because I did not understand what my parents were saying, and I am very thankful for that today. I do struggle, especially in high level classes, to reach the level of language that many of my peers have. This has made me have to enhance other aspects of my writing, along with add to my less than extensive vocab list.

Although I do not have to fight through competing voices, I do have to fight through a disadvantage as well. I applaud those who are determined enough to sift through their two languages on a daily basis. This is not just a work, school, or home. This is also during every day tasks and interactions. The values of each language may encourage the individual to use one for a certain situation even though it is not the "proper" language for wherever they are.

I do not have to struggle with competing languages, but I certainly have unending respect for those who do. I have a hard enough time with just English as my language. What experiences have you had with competing voices? How do you think one who is in this situation gets through these difficulties?