Personal Narrative: Return To The Dominican Republic

My family and I were sad to see that both places we called home were both gone, but we left with no arguing. I

I was born in Bogota, Colombia on August 14th, 1998 and left only two years later in search of a better life in the United States of America. The United States is where I was raised, where all my childhood memories take place; the life I know is in this country. Although I have no memory of Colombia, I am still influenced by its culture. Furthermore, I have embraced my Colombian heritage, centering part of my identity on it.

It was the best decision they had ever made. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be here and learning with the other students. I know it was tough for them in America since they can’t speak English and I have seen them break down, but they never give up. I am really grateful for my parents because they have given up so much just for my sisters and I. They are the role model for me and without them, I wouldn’t have come this far to be successful.

This autobiographical essay will define my experience as a Dominican immigrant living in New York City. Being an American citizen with a Dominican background are extremely relevant to the process of political socialization. My family background is founded on the principles of democratic values, which taught to me by my mother and father. In New York City, I found a “melting pot” of different immigrants that allowed me to feel more accepted as a Dominican living in the United States. More so, these aspects of the socialization process provided a foundation for my belief in democratic values throughout my life. My experiences as an immigrant have certainly been difficult in some cases of racism, but I have generally been accepted as an American

I started crying thinking this is my last time with everyone. Was I going to come back? Why isn’t my other siblings coming? but all I knew was it was me and my dad. It’s been four year since i have seen a part of my family.

Last summer I went on vacation to Puerto Rico with my cousins. We did really fun things like snorkeling, a boat ride, and eating at many wonderful places. Although all those sound really fun, I want to talk about the time I met the most cutest, most fluffiest, most friendliest, animal ever.

Going through every security checks and bag checks, I anxiously waited until it was my turn. There were thousands of people standing at the baggage claim waiting to claim their luggage and others were rushing to the gate to catch their flight. I happened to be one of those people. Sitting in the cold lounge, waiting for my flight to El Salvador to arrive, all I could think about was my mother’s last words before she said goodbye.

but then they told me to have a safe journey and remember one thing when you go to the states don't ever forget us that's what they told me. I told them that I will never forget them because they were the friends who i grew up with. So I left feeling sad. Tears came down my cheeks I wiped them off and pretended to be normal. When I moved to the the U.S.

My Trip to Haiti It was the beginning of my junior year in high school and there had been much talk about a school trip to Port Au Prince, Haiti, Only ten students could attend this trip, applications had opened up in November and for me a trip to Haiti sounded like just a dream, I thought I was not able to afford it. The idea for the possibility to travel to a new country and be exposed to a brand new culture excited me, I made the decision to apply anyway. In December, I received news that I had been chosen as one of the first ten students from my school to go on this new service trip. I was so excited that I was even qualified, but also worried because I knew that the price was still an issue.

There were rice plants on my left and farm animals on my right. I grew up in New York City, so you can imagine the millions of questions that were running through my head. I’d never been to the countryside of the Dominican Republic before, but when I finally did, I couldn’t be more ecstatic, despite the scorching Caribbean sun burning down on my brown skin.

That 's when I realized how grateful I am. To have the capability of a prominent life that my parents only got a glimpse of but never the whole picture. I get to start a whole fresh ripple effect of change. One way or another I will make it through. I will not think my chances are small, but rather fit to challenge me.

I wouldn't be the person I am today without the experiences and where I come from. It all started from where I was born. I was born in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti on January 22nd 1995. Haiti is located in the Caribbean, and there we speak two languages fluently, Creole and French. All my family from both my mother’s and my father's side we all come from Haiti. I don’t remember much from the time I was there, because I was very young. I left Haiti when I was about five years old, I went to France with my cousins and aunt and stayed there until I was about eight or nine years old. From there I went to the United States to be with my mother in New York. The majority of my life I spent it in New York with my mother. It wasn’t until August 2014 I moved

The Punta Cana Vacation Have you ever had a vacation where your child does something horrible in public at a swimming pool? A vacation is when one or more people are gone for an extended period of time. When I was four years old me, my mother, my father, my grandpa, and my grandma went to Punta Cana to get away from the cold weather. It has been happening, ever since we left Illinois and Missouri. So, we boarded the plane and took off to Punta Cana, everyone was either taking a nap or watching a movie while the plane was moving.

This summer, my church took a missions trip to Puerto Penasco. It wasn 't the easiest trip to plan, seeing we only had two months to plan for it, and pay for it. Yes, this trip was spontaneous, and we worked very hard to get the money for it.

My grandfather asked me “Which one?” I respond “Let’s get this one”. Little did I know that guinea pig was my dinner. Guinea pigs or cuy are not pets but food in Ecuador.When I arrived at the airport it looked like any typical airport, but it felt as if I was in a different world. I remember seeing a whole bunch of random people at the airport. And then this whole group of people is crowding around me and it took me a while to put all the pieces together and I see my brother saying hi to everyone and then I realized holy cow this is my family. On the way to the car I was counting how many people were actually here and I had 6 uncle 's, 6 aunt 's, more than 15 cousins and 4 grandparents. I could not believe my eyes for the first time in eleven years I was with family. The first two weeks living in Ecuador was a challenge.