By Joe Mussomeli
My younger brother Alex, 15 years old, has for many years been deeply passionate about learning, reading, writing, and speaking foreign languages. For Alex, each new language is a hidden art with its secrets and beauty waiting to be discovered.
Alex was in elementary school when he developed an interest in foreign television cartoons, including programs from Italy and Japan. His discovery of their cultures soon evolved into a fascination with their languages.
Alex, who was born with hearing loss, once faced resistance from his parents and teachers over his pursuit of foreign languages. Today he teaches himself Japanese using online resources.
But his passion for international vocabularies has consistently been challenged. Alex was born with a hearing loss and was, for most of his childhood, discouraged from pursuing foreign language studies.
Taking advice from Alex’s audiologist, my parents maintained that it would be harder for my brother to master English than for children with typical hearing. Accordingly, they were reluctant to introduce him to other languages, including my mom’s native tongue, Arabic. After Alex received a cochlear implant and hearing aid at age 2 and a half, my parents made sure he was regularly surrounded by proficient English speakers to foster his language comprehension.
Alex faced similar resistance in school. In elementary school, Alex attended speech therapy while his peers learned Spanish. Alex’s exclusion from language courses continued into middle school, where he was dissuaded from enrolling in his choice of Spanish, French, or Mandarin. Undeterred by his teachers’ directives, Alex became determined to prove to himself and others that he could learn other languages successfully. He began to study, read, and listen to Japanese in his free time.
Last year, when selecting his classes for his freshman year of high school, Alex was advised to opt out of a foreign language yet again, even though he eagerly wanted to learn one. Around that time, Alex came to me, his only sibling, about his dilemma. He knocked on my wooden bedroom door one evening and I let him in. With a contemplative look on his face, he sat on my bed and asked me if I thought he should take a language in high school. I asked him, with one eyebrow raised, “Why should my opinion matter?”
Alex was confused and asked what I meant. I explained to him something that our mom had told me years before: “When it comes to our passions, we shouldn’t need others' approval to follow them.”
Silently, Alex got off my twin bed and made his way towards my door. Clenching the doorknob with his right palm, Alex turned towards me with a smile and said, “I know what I want to do now.”
The next day, Alex had discussions with my parents and his speech/hearing therapist at school. Alex told everyone that he had been teaching himself Japanese using YouTube, language websites and apps. Impressed by his feat, all parties agreed that he should be able to take a foreign language of his choice in high school.
Today, Alex is excelling in his Italian class as a high school freshman. He loves the class and says that Italian is one of the most beautiful languages he’s ever heard. Impressively, outside of school, Alex continues to study and learn Japanese in his free time. He practices listening to, speaking, and reading the language for two hours every day.
Joe (left) finds inspiration in his brother Alex.
Alex’s determination and perseverance has allowed him to pursue and succeed in other languages, despite his hearing loss. My brother inspires me to remember that we can overcome challenges if we choose, and that we should never sacrifice the fulfillment of our passions.
Joe Mussomeli is a high school student from Connecticut. His younger brother, Alex, was featured in Hearing Health magazine’s Summer 2015 issue.
