For six months, I let my fiancé and his family mock me in Arabic, thinking I was just some naive American girl who didn’t understand anything. They had no idea I was fluent in Arabic!

When it was my turn to speak, I stood up, my hands slightly shaking — not from nerves, but from satisfaction.

“First,” I began in English, “I want to thank everyone for welcoming me into the family.”

Then, I switched languages.Continue reading…