Personal Narrative: What Does It Mean To Be An American Today?

Is America the greatest country in the world?  Americans certainly seem to think so.  America has fought in every major conflict since 1776.   She has helped rebuilt nations, jumpstarted economies, fought against oppressive regimes, and been a global force for change.

I have doubts that enough Americans will ever seek to look out for the America first. The self-interest of 300+ million Americans leads them to act according to their own short term interests, satisfying their immeadiate needs and possibly wants. The modern American is morphing into an "on-demand" mentality. The more that catches on, the more this economy will depend on other countries to meet our specific demands.

As election time draws near, I can not help thinking more and more of my vision for America. Election time makes us think about our visions and our values, for our government, our nation, and maybe even ourselves, but our visions must always be in our minds. Without constant thought and hard work, visions cannot be fruitful. I envision the nation our founding fathers would have wanted to emerge from their efforts, a hopeful nation, blessed by God and enlivened by faith. America should protects every life, from conception to the grave.

You could easily say America has given my generation many things. Much of which we take for granted. Our country 's gift is something I hadn 't noticed before this project. If it did not exist, many of us might not be alive. The U.S. has given many people a safe place where they have the right to speak their mind.

Riding a roller coaster? Watching horror movies? Killing bugs as a no big deal? Oh, no. Not me.

Growing up in America and having a parent from another country comes with many perks and stories. In case you haven't read the title or wondering which parent is from another country; My father is from a small island in Central America named Belize. To give you the brief history about Belize, Belize first inhabitants were the Mayans from the beginning of time until the fourteenth century due to them mysteriously declining in population. The Mayans had a huge roll in the Central American countries. This due to the fact that they developed the idea of hieroglyphics, which back then was the only fully known writing system of the pre-Columbian Americas-as well as for its mathematics, astronomical system, art, calendar, and architecture.

The arguably most important experience of my life was something that I was definitely not seeking out. Something that I was unhappily forced into, yet something that I am still able to look back upon with a smile. I am a born and raised American, a Texan to be exact and all my life I have felt different, not because I was a "weird" but rather because my parents were from India and I was always struggling with finding out who I really am, I didn 't even know what I should call myself until recently; was I an American? Indian?

Growing up in America as a Chinese immigrant, I was puzzled about my identity for quite some time. Was I Chinese, Chinese American, or a Chinese in America? Never had I thought the arrangements between two or three words can be so controversial and disconcert. My life was an empty canvas, depressed and uncommitted. It was tough to not have the same type of name as most of my peers, it was tough to learn English, and it was tough to live with an absence of a true identity.

My vision of America is that the school system would change, things would be more expensive, and the people in poverty will decrease. In the future, America will probably change the academic system. My vision is that they will have made the school days shorter and less homework. Kids go to school 7 hours a day, some kids even have sports practice after school which leaves no time for them to go home and do homework, chores, and have family time. This affects their grades because when they get home they are busy with all their homework and chores, so they probably don’t do their homework.

The American experience is not unfamiliar to me, I have been visiting America since I was a child and as a child I always wanted to move to America. My first visit here I fell in love with the culture specifically the freedom of expression. However the opportunity did not emerge for me to move to America legitimately and as promising young child, I did not want to damage my future by moving to a country illegally where I could not live to my full potential. I stayed in Jamaica and I completed my University education as a registered nurse and had become comfortable with my life in Jamaica. I started working the spring of 2013 and upon receival of my first paycheck, I was reminded that this is not the place I wanted to be.