Growing up in Northern California, I was surrounded by different ethnicities, cultures, and languages. My language learning journey began at home under the influence of my parents and grandparents. The combination of my ancestral language, Punjabi, and my first language, English, has allowed me to have a dual identity. From an early age, my immersion in both cultures allowed me to use both languages ​​efficiently. Punjabi was a language mainly spoken at home while in other social contexts I spoke English. Additionally, I also learned Hindi and Spanish at an intermediate level during my teenage years. Despite having been exposed to these four languages, I cannot claim to be quadrilingual. Although I can speak colloquial Hindi, I cannot read or write because I have not received any education in this field. My proficiency level in all four languages ​​increased based on my motivation to learn them. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayB, English was my native language in which I communicated regularly. Because of this, English came naturally to me and did not require any special instruction. In sixth grade, I was in the Roosevelt Honor club for English because I scored high on the district's reading comprehension test. Subsequently, I took honors English courses throughout middle school and achieved desirable grades. My positive experience contributed to my decision to get all the grades possible and the Advanced Placement English course offered by my high school. I soon realized that no matter what discipline I choose, writing effectively is key. Besides that, public speaking is a fundamental part of our daily lives. In an effort to improve them, I joined a mock trail team at my high school. In the mock test, I learned how to articulate and communicate clearly in my native language. The goal of mastering your native language might seem superfluous. However, you should always try to improve your verbal and written skills in your native language. The process of improving my native language has become vital in my personal experience as I have learned two languages ​​at the same time. The influence of my parents and grandparents' Punjabi heritage encouraged me to learn Punjabi along with English. Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the northern region of India. As a child it was the primary language of communication at home. I spoke Punjabi fluently but was unable to read or write it at an early age. However, the situation gradually started to change when my grandfather started introducing Punjabi culture. In first grade, my parents enrolled me in a newly opened Sunday school at church that taught Punjabi. I attended Sunday school for six years and was part of the first graduating class. At school, I actively participated in lessons and participated in impromptu speeches. Through such learning techniques, I not only improved verbally but also learned how to compose essays. Thanks to intensive schooling that lasted several years, I learned to speak Punjabi fluently. As I think back, I remember several Sunday mornings when my grandfather would sit in the living room and read the Punjabi newspaper. On some occasions, when my grandfather couldn't find his reading classes, I would read the newspaper to him. To further my passion for learning Punjabi, I treated myself to occasional bowls of ice cream and my grandmother's signature lemonade. My motivation increased even moreduring my eighth grade trip to Punjab, where I realized my proficiency level in the Punjabi language. In 2008, locals in my father's home village were surprised to see that I spoke fluent Punjabi despite being born in the United States. The positive evaluation from my extended family members and locals motivated me to learn even more. As I traveled through the historical monuments of Punjab, I realized that the ancient scriptures were written in a script called Gurumukhi. Gurumukhi was the formal writing system in Punjab is very similar to the hieroglyphics in ancient Egypt. My inability to read these scriptures motivated me to learn Gurumukhi. Through the help of my elder aunt, I started exploring a Gurumukhi. In exchange for teaching Gurumukhi, I taught English to my aunt. The compromise worked well as much of Gurumukhi was identical to Punjabi. Initially, the process of learning Gurumukhi was rigorous due to its emphasis on the alphasyllabary. And since Gurumukhi was used more widely in literature, I was unable to communicate verbally with anyone. Despite the lack of communication, I learned to read Gurumukhi at a moderate level. As for my aunt, she learned a couple of introductory phrases that she continually practiced. During my visit to Punjab, I attempted to practice Punjabi with the locals. Ironically, at times, when I conversed with the younger generation in Punjabi, the answer was often given in English. Just like me, many local villagers were fascinated by English. The villagers' exposure to mass media primarily in English had enabled them to learn English. The locals' experience mirrored my experience with my third language, Hindi. Personally, media has been a key tool in helping me learn my third language called Hindi. The process of learning Hindi was not strenuous because it has common roots with Punjabi. The relationship between the two languages ​​is analogous to the relationship between Spanish and Portuguese. However, both Hindi and Punjabi have their own alphabets, grammatical and syntax rules. Due to demographic aspects, Hindi is a widely used language in common Indian media. During the week, my grandmother often watched soap operas and Indian films. Sometimes I would sit with her and watch the shows to understand what they were saying. Since my grandmother was born and raised in India, she could speak Hindi clearly. So, I started watching Hindi media and listening to conversations of native Hindi speakers. Overtime, I eventually learned the language and can now speak colloquial Hindi. However, since I have not attended a formal learning school, I cannot read or write Hindi. My decision to learn Hindi was not based on any motivation. Instead it was due to my daily exposure to a Hindi-rich environment with my grandmother. Likewise, I was exposed to a high Spanish language environment which led me to learn Spanish during high school. My experience with the fourth language reflects how it is possible to fail to learn a language even after many years of school. Even though I had six years of formal education, I couldn't learn Spanish. At the beginning of seventh grade, I use Spanish as an optional subject. Ms. Ramirez's Spanish course is perhaps the only reason I can speak Spanish at a beginner level. The next five years of Spanish did not emphasize the use of Spanish in real-world scenarios. In seventh grade, when I started learning Spanish, I became more intrigued by the language and decided to acquire it.