My Life As An Immigrant

As an immigrant, relocating to America does not necessarily mean a permanent settlement. More often than not, my family moved in multiple occasions as my family found it challenging to achieve a sustainable way of life. During the span of my childhood, I have moved to seven cities within a span of fourteen years and enrolled at five schools. Being an oriental immigrant proved to be enough of an embarrassment to my moral standards, but being labeled as “the new kid”, activated my deepest insecurities. Forcibly putting myself in an environment where diversity was not apparent, I implicitly harnessed an arrogance and hatred to my own culture. And the lack thereof resulted in disrespecting my parents; I began to question their parenthood and I would frequently engage in verbal disputes between my parents. I remember hating myself and the Korean identity that I yearned to be forgotten.

The spring of my freshman year marked a pivotal moment in my life. I was overwhelmed to hear the news that I was the only freshman to make the Varsity squad and with that came an uproar of heaping praise from classmates and varsity teammates alike. My soccer skills somehow had a profound effect on many of my fellow peers as they found enjoyment from watching me play. Mutually so, I found joy and satisfaction that many of my peers who are now my friends were entertained by my soccer skills. Showcasing these skills every Friday night from January to April provided me with a euphoric feeling that I still cannot explain. From someone who was insecure about his racial and social status in society, I found soccer to be a liberation from my anxieties. My talent for playing soccer has inevitably given me a lifelong warranty of friendships that appreciate me for my talent and looking at me as an admirable soccer player – not an immigrant, not as the new