Who said there is a right age to learn a new language? Galina is proof that to study and expand knowledge, what you really need is will and persistence. Thus, at 71, Galina has been breaking barriers and writing an inspiring story for other students, teachers and staff at DALC.

In Russia, Galina has a large family. There she worked as an elementary school teacher and taught music. When she arrived in the US, she had to start a lot of things over from scratch. “I was a widow who was over 60 years old, I didn’t speak English, I didn’t know American culture and customs, I had no friends, and I had two granddaughters under my care,” recalls Galina.

For many, this list of difficulties would have been a reason to give up and take a step back. But not for Galina. She decided to use her natural interpersonal skills to start relationships with the community, participating in a group called TAG – Today Active Group. The Church was another way to integrate and, to do so, she used her musical ability.

“At first, I was like a deaf and dumb person. I didn’t understand what people were saying, and I couldn’t communicate through words,” she says. But everything started to change when her daughter brought her to study at DALC. Galina started at the beginner level. “I tried to understand with my eyes, my ears, my hands everything the teachers taught,” she says.

Galina left her homeland in 2016 and came to Dover to help her eldest daughter Alyona and son-in-law Alex take care of their young daughters Melania and Stefania. The couple was starting their own business and needed someone to help with the children.

Today, eight years after arriving in the US, Galina is integrated into the community, the children’s school, the church, and just transferred to advanced level ESL.

Galina knows that language is a barrier for most people arriving in the US, but it’s not a reason to panic, “Remember why you came to this country. Don’t be afraid to talk about your problems and try to be useful to your community. As long as you are needed, as long as you benefit