Yusuf was eleven when he moved to a new country with his mother. On his first day at school he understood about one word in ten. At lunch he wanted to say, "I am hungry." Instead, he told the lunch lady, "I am a sandwich." She gave him a pickle.
Every evening Yusuf learned five new words. In class, a girl called Mia sat next to him. She talked very fast, but when he was lost, she drew pictures.
After two months every child had to speak for one minute. He said, "On my first day, I wanted to say: I am hungry. I said: I am a sandwich." The whole class laughed, and Yusuf saw they were laughing with him. It was his first joke in the new language. At lunch the lunch lady gave him two pickles.
