Summary Of Laughing Without An Accent By Firoozeh Dumas

I boarded the bus and that’s when I knew we weren’t in the United States anymore.
“Boarded” is an exaggeration because my family and I had to hop on as the bus flew by us with the door open. In Laughing Without an Accent, Firoozeh Dumas was in culture shock when she first arrived at college and that’s similar to what I felt. After all, I was on a bus in Barbados full of locals jamming to Barbadian classics. I felt like I shouldn’t be there.
As the bus continued into the city my family and I became more comfortable. Even though we were way out of place, the locals were very kind and made us feel welcomed. The music was not understandable but the beat was “bumping” and had the feeling of a party bus.
The bus ride that seemed to be a mistake at first was quickly becoming a highlight of the trip.
Meanwhile, it took her till
Junior year and moving into International House to really enjoy her experience.
Similar to Dumas’s feelings about her American teachers I was suddenly very fond of the bussing system in Barbados. Dumas was shocked the American teachers didn’t yell or hit anyone, and I was shocked at how friendly the Barbadian locals were. They easily could have ignored my family and I but instead were helpful and made the ride fun. Both Dumas’s teacher and my Barbados story are a true testament to how much of an impact people or a person can have on a situation. Lastly, there’s one experience Dumas had that was completely different from mine. For one-month Dumas tried to bring something from her culture into the U.S. culture.
The entire family went without a TV and instead focused on having conversations with each other. This is different from my bus experience because bringing something like the Barbados bussing system to the U.S. would not work out very well. In fact, it probably wouldn’t