I am a daughter of a refugee and an immigrant. My father left Ethiopia and walked across several countries finally coming to America. While my mother came after 15 years since the communist advance into South Vietnam. I come from a household of parents from two different continents.Their arrival america gave an unique atmosphere in the household. The aroma of home-cook Vietnamese food and the constant shift between English and Vietnamese was my life was at home. My parents would frequently share their stories of their upbringings and struggles and how life here is very different.
At home I did what I was told and tried not to complain It was not because I wanted to be a good child ,but I wanted to ease the troubles in my parents life. Many things that I ask for I hear is “no” I become very frustrated at times that I do not have what my friends have. Now, remembering how I acted before I am consumed with guilt. I knew my parents tried their best for me, but I was selfish and complained. I realize their hardships and sacrifices they made to make my life better.
By the time I started school, there was a disconnect with my peers. I could understand what was being said to me, but I could not communicate. I felt left out. As I grew older, I found a balance between the culture at home and the culture that I socialize myself with. There was another
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The look on their face seems surprised as if the answer is not enough. It is like there is a need to know where I am “really” from. Those several interactions made me look at myself, I did not felt like I was from somewhere else. In my social life I acted similar to my peers, but to others I am different. For the people who were surprised by my answer it did not matter how I acted, I looked foreign to them. When this happened I explained my life to them and the stories of my parents. However, I now give a firm answer that I am truly from
As a child I would always see my parents work hard for every dollar they made. When I reached my teenage years I realized that it was because they were immigrants to this country and took whatever job opportunity they could find. I also came to realize that I was an immigrant, and that life was tougher for not having the proper documentation. This year I fell into the biggest hole of my life. I learned that I was not going to get financial aid because of my legal status and my mother was also diagnosed with a tumer last month.
I had the grand honor of being born into a culturally diverse family. Although Dominican culture dominates our customs, we are 25% Middle Eastern from Lebanon, and 25% Spanish from Barcelona, Spain. The cultures have all laced into each other in such a way that I find it utterly ordinary to eat Arabic food while listening to Dominican music while serving Spanish desserts. My parents came to America at around the age that I am now, met each other, and my mom had my first sister at 18 while my father was 22. My mom went back to high school to finish her GED while my father enrolled in an institution that he never got around to finishing because his english was not well.
My parents were both undocumented immigrants from small villages in Mexico, and the experiences that are fundamental to me are those from my childhood, which I experienced from the perspective of a child of undocumented immigrants. I remember the fear that I felt whenever I saw strangers, because I strongly believed that each time a stranger was near my parents would somehow be sent away. I longed to communicate, but it felt as though I was burdened with a greater awareness of who I was and what situation I was born into. I feared that once I spoke, I would be labeled an outsider. My first language was Spanish, and I vividly recall running to my neighbors and having a conversation only speaking gibberish in the hopes of communicating my thoughts
Growing up in an immigrant household in America, was difficult. I didn’t live, I learned to adapt. I learned to adapt to the fact that I did not look like any of my peers, so I changed. Adapted to the fact that my hair texture would never be like any of my peers, so I changed. Adapted to the fact that I was not as financially well off as my peers, so I changed.
As a child of immigrant parents, my formative years in elementary and middle school were shaped by two important factors: the environment in which I lived and my background. My parents worked hard to settle into a new life in a foreign country to provide better opportunities for our family. This meant that we had to be flexible about where we lived due to relocating for jobs, and fluid about our ideas of culture. I recall the daunting nature of moving to a new city, twice, as a child. The prospect of leaving everything that was familiar to me and forming new friendships in an unfamiliar environment was a challenge.
A lot of stuff happened in eighth grade, some good, some bad. For one good thing, every time at the end of quarter, we would do nothing and just play games, eat pizza, and watch movies. All the bad things I can think about is just the bad grades I get on test sometimes like that. So the goods outweigh the bads.
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.
January 11, 2013, I wake up to yelling, prayers, and crying. I walked into the kitchen where all the noises were coming from and I found my mother on the floor crying, talking on the phone with my godmother. My father was there by her side, trying hard not to cry while supporting his wife. I didn’t know what was happening, this was the first time I’ve seen my mom so vulnerable and broken. My parents didn’t tell me anything other than my grandmother was in critical condition at the hospital, but with god's help she would overcome this hard time.
It took me so long to try and find where I fit and belong. I now know that my identity is something unique and individual and any person growing up, with or without immigrant parents, struggle to find
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.
Ten years ago, I immigrated to the United States and ever since I have been an undocumented immigrant. Due to my legal status in the United States, I felt like I was restricted from certain situations and possessions and would never be able to succeed. I was not living the normal life of a seven-year-old. Instead, I had to learn to cope and adapt to a whole new culture. Even though the drastic change at such a young age was a challenge, it has shaped who I am today.
For me, this is where my class was perplexing. In a small town, everybody knows everybody, and because everybody knew my grandparents, and therefore also my family, they simply assumed we were one and the same even if we were
My most rewarding accomplishment consists of my ability to overcome the fear and weakness that was conceived upon my arrival to the United States from Mexico, in addition to a newly evolved character which allowed me to achieve academic, professional, and personal success. Nearly seven years ago, my mother and I immigrated from a harsh economic climate in Mexico that was plagued with unemployment. Additionally, our family faced bankruptcy. While holding onto our faith, we left our hometown with only what we could carry and bought two one-way bus tickets. With nothing more than fear, two bags, and $50 in each of our pockets, we set out for what would be the most challenging journey of our lives.
First generation immigrants sacrifice their adulthood in search of a better life for their family and for future generations to come. My father came from Peru to support his family. He was the first person in his family to come to America. He works in road construction from morning until night so that my family is supported. The desire to repay both of my parents is the belief that guides my life.
Personal Statement I come from a large family with relatives from a little ranch in Chihuahua, Mexico. Many of which have never made it past grade school. Mainly due to their mother, my grandma, she had fallen very ill. Due to her condition and lack of money my aunts and uncles dropped out of school to work and help pay for her medication and medical expenses. The older siblings had to take care of the younger siblings.