When I was seven, I asked my mom why she had come to America from Ethiopia. She told me that she had come so that I could have things that she didn’t, get the education she couldn’t, and see and do things she wouldn’t. I told her that I was going to make her proud and even though I was seven, I was stubborn, and set my goals high and worked hard. I will forever remember my mother crying as I got my college acceptance letters. Now, as a junior at Old Dominion College as an international affairs major, I’m setting to make her proud again.
Today I will be talking about the first time I came to America and how it has changed my life. When I was five years old, I started first grade in Turkey. I was afraid because my parents signed me up late and I thought I wouldn’t be able to make friends. Both my parents came with me for the first day of school and I made them wait outside of my classroom because they couldn’t come inside the classroom. The first time I entered class, all the kids were with their friends and the teacher had assigned me in between two girls.
I moved to America when I was nine years old. Even though I did not know any alphabet, I gradually got used to the new environment. Soon, I got pleased about being able to live in America. I especially liked the atmosphere there. For example, when I went to a store, I noticed that everyone was so friendly to others.
Challenge Essay Moving into The United States that has a different language has been the biggest obstacle that I have ever faced, especially with the fact that there was a time where I didn’t understand a single word of that language called English. This was a big obstacle in my life since I was raised in Mexico where the prime language, there is Spanish and that was the only language I knew back then, it was until the day had come where my family and I had to move into the United States due to the violence that has been happening in Mexico. I consider those times the most difficult ones of my whole life because I had to work triple than what I normally did in school in order for me to learn a huge complex language.
“What was it like?” I asked, scrambling to keep up with my aunt. She paused, her tall thin frame standing in the doorway. Dishes lay scattered around us. Dinner had ended hours ago, and everybody was upstairs..
My life took an interesting turn when my mother told me I would be moving to a different country, fear took over my body because that meant I would have to start from zero. On January 1st, 2011 my mom gave me the exciting news that her fiancée, now husband, had started the process to bring her to the United States so she could become a permanent resident, live with him, form a family and start a brand new life. I remember her face blighting up to every time she spoke a word but that smile faded once she told me I could not come with at that time because of the expense of the process. I understood why she could not bring me with. We had economic and emotional issues going on.
Standing there looking into my mother’s eyes filled with intent and worries, I was speechless. At this instant, I was able to budge a smile and move myself, despite being frozen from the news, to embrace my now widowed mother. Despite this tragic event, my dad had a dream, a vision that his two sons would achieve the American Dream filled with infinite opportunities that can be obtained with a higher education. To this day, I continually strive to live up to the American Dream my dad envisioned for me.
As a teenager moving to a new country with a different culture, different language, and being thousands of miles away from everyone I grew up with was not an easy change, however, that was precisely what I did in January of 2013 when I came to the United States with my father. My whole world changed since, and shaped my way of thinking. From learning English, adjusting to a new culture, experiencing my first snow and finding my way in my new country, my life has been an exciting adventure. My parents brought me to America almost 5 years ago to have a better life, and to get a better education.
The first eight years of my life, I spent in India where I was born. Growing up I was constantly reminded by my parents that I needed to make them proud by getting a good job and living a good lifestyle. They told me this because they did not want to see me live a hard life like they did. When I was nine years old, I moved from India to the United States of America. The reason why I moved to America was not because I was living a bad life in India, it was so that I could have a better education and more opportunities in life.
I remember the day I received a little yellow paper that said, “Cinthia Gordillo you are eligible to participate in commencement.” I started tearing up because I knew that I had accomplished one of my dreams as well as my mother’s dream. My mom decided to leave her home town in Honduras because of the lack of jobs and violence. I was born in Madera, CA four months after my mom migrated to California. Growing up my mom emphasized the importance of education however, out of her six children I was the first one who decided to pursue a higher education.
I used to have this grudges in my heart when everything go hard that would made me wanted to blame my parent. But I can’t because I was not raise to think that way. When I come to America, I was eleven years old and no one asked me if I wanted to come it just happen in a second. I was in a cold place with extended family that I never met before and that one person who raise me and made me feel secure was still back in the country. I had to lived months without her and next thing you know I adapted and convince myself they are doing this because the wanted the best for me.
Today… Today was horrible. Why? Because an RPG Apocalypse have started. How i now well.. let me tell u Where iam. Iam with my friends Reymond in his room.
Moving to the United States was not an easy journey for my family and I. I had to get integrate to a new society which meant a changing to my traditional lifestyle and habit and learning a new language and culture. In high school, I adapted well because many courses were not too vigorous, and the classes moved at a slower pace. On the contrary, college requires juggling multiple classes and adapting to the new college life. For eighteen years of my life, I had never spent more than two days away from my parents, so it was quite difficult at first.
Howdy, y’all, I’m Suzanne, and I hail from big, beautiful Texas! Thanks for stopping by to check out my photos. I trust you like what you see? From the gorgeous golden waves bouncing around my shoulders to my sparkling blue eyes, I’ve been told more than once I’m the epitome of The All-American Girl. But, I think that moniker extends far beyond just the physical, don’t you?
My mother came to USA when she was pregnant of me. I am one of the minorities in my family that have graduated from high school and is continuing their education. This is one of the reasons why I am continuing to go to college because I am going to be the first women in my family to graduate from a university and I want for this to continue in my family. I want to make my family proud and show them that it’s possible to get a college degree. For this year I have so many goals like travel, buy a new car, have a better health lifestyle, and the most important one to focus more in school.
In the mid-1980s, my newlywed parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico seeking to build a better life for themselves and their forthcoming family. With only a small suitcase of clothes and little money, they came devoted and eager to start a new chapter on foreign land. Over time they encountered overwhelming struggles and hardships but, nevertheless, they managed to stay loyal to their profound culture. Growing up as a daughter to immigrant parents with strong beliefs and values, I have been deeply influenced who I am as an individual. Their encounters with numerous hardships have greatly motivated and inspired me to challenge myself to be the best person I can be.