Bao Nguyen: Personal Narrative Analysis

It was hard to adapt to the system. I was, and still am an outcast. The language was the hardest thing to learn as a child. It was hard because as a little girl I couldn’t ask my parents, the only people I trusted, for help. They were clueless about the language also. Because of the great language barrier, my full potential wasn’t shown and I was held back. At the same time, my parent’s matrimony wasn’t going so well and they separated. Soon after the separation, my older sister and I moved with our mom away from the west coast. It was just us now. Times were rough. My mom was always working. Her three jobs didn’t permit her to bond much with us. Back in that time I didn’t understand the circumstances, but today I am extremely grateful for her and her determination to never give up and her only reason was me and my sister. Moving to away from the west coast benefitted me a lot. There were less hispanics so I had no option but to learn English. After I mastered English, it would bring me great pleasure to see my name in the honorary roll. I loved the look my mom gave me when I received recognitions from my schools. It was a look of proudness. Our different skin color, language, and culture were motives enough for American people to make us outcasts. I would get so angry when kids would make racist comments about me and my country. I have learnt that some people aren’t educated to know that people are people no matter the culture, the differences. They weren’t taught to respect. I’m forgiving to those who made me feel less because of my

I immigrated to the US with my family six years ago. At that time, we had a hard time adapting to the new environment because of the new language and the differences in culture. During the first few weeks after I started school, I felt really frustrated at myself as my inadequate english skills were not good enough for me to communicate with my teachers and peers. However, my parents were the ones that suffered the most. The language barrier made it difficult for them to find jobs and get through their daily life tasks. I still remember vividly that one time when my dad and I went to a pharmacy to pick up his medications. He struggled to communicate with the pharmacist and recieved juding stares for his broken English. For the first time in

September 28th, 2004 came by all too quickly. That is the day I landed in the United States of America at SeaTac airport. I remember growing up in Kenya and my dad used to call me and my sisters “American ladies”. He would constantly say that if he doesn't get a chance to come here he would make sure that my sisters and I would come here for a more suitable education. Growing up in Seattle life never came easy for me unlike my sisters. I barely knew how to speak English let alone my own language, Kiswahili. Juggling between the American and the Kenyan accent was a tedious task. furthermore, not being able to communicate with others turned me into an awfully reserved individual and practically branded me an outcast. Likewise, at home my supposed “safe place” also felt like I was in isolation from the other members of my family. At the moment I wasn’t at the top of my parents priority list but to some extent my parents feared for how I would be able to assimilate in the culture without being able to speak the language. Two months after our arrival I was enrolled to John Stanford Elementary, an alternative school, specifically to learn English. Going to an alternative

For as long as I can remember I have struggled with anxiety, I have been told countlessly to stop overthinking and worrying. Until recently I thought my this was a strength, that worrying would help me prepare. At snowboard state championships I realized that I needed to overcome this challenge, this has changed my outlook my own fear ever since.

I find myself struggling most during my adolescents, specifically on what I should do with my life and how. I relate heavily with Jin-Sang’s story, I grew up and identity in a Vietnamese household, the stereotype tends to be that Asian household have high expectation of their children academically and will do anything for them to achieve high successful career. Unfortunately, during my childhood and teenage years they had built this system onto me to lean towards a medical career in order to be successful. Their expectations have been more lenient by blanketing the term by suggesting they just wanted me to get a stable career so I can sustain living on my own, but I can still feel the pressure of them still desiring me to choose a successful career path that I do not want. Like

“Hello! What’s your name?” “Uyen Nhat Phuong Nguyen.” I see the expression, then hear the response: “ What?” Starting fifth grade in the U.S. without knowing a single word of English, going to back to Vietnam three years later incapable of fully enhancing the Vietnamese language is not exactly an ideal circumstance for blending in. For many years, I was always the quiet one sitting in the corner, the one who few people talked to, the one out of the loop. I was the “local alien”.

I am forty four years old with three children and a wonderful husband. I grew up in Oklahoma and later moved to Kansas, and then Arizona where I finished my degree is Political Science at Arizona State University. My career goals were to attend law school after undergrad, so that I could be an advocate for children that were suffering serious injustices back then, and sadly they still seem to be suffering those injustices today.

Kevin and I stepped into a whole new world in the fall of 2009. We began our degree program at Emmanuel School of Religion, which is now called Emmanuel Christian Seminary. We were working on our Masters of Arts and Religion. I was excited and nervous about going back to college. Our first day was terrifying. Kevin and I attended orientation the week prior to classes starting. There was a definite realization this academic program was going to be a challenge. However, I wanted a challenge. On the first day of class, we started with Greek. Our professor was Dr. Marwede. He opened the class with a test. He came over to my chair first and handed me a paper with a list of Greek words on it. My immediate reaction was shock, which Dr. Marwede realized I was overwhelmed by the look on my face. He told the class we could take it home as homework. Many of the students in the Greek class had previous experience with Greek; however, Kevin and I had no knowledge at all. We were overwhelmed. We were assigned five chapters and told to return the next day for a quiz with our homework.

It was 1918 and i was living in kansas city it was a hot summer night that we heard that we was going into war i remember that night like it was yesterday. It was me and my brother and my mother and father i was 15 years old almost all grown up but i have to be 17 in my parents eyes to get to live on my own my brother was 12 i am the oldest. At that time my mother was 35 and my father was 36, things was going well until get heard the news around town that the war was on its way so through the summer we was getting ready mom said that we had to move to a place called Georgia and i was so upset about leaving kansas but if it meant that i was going to be a live with my family i guess i will have to go and live with the fact that i will live down there for the rest of my life. So we was packing up what little bit of food that we had and so we put it in your wagon and we was on your way the whole time i was so mad until we got to kentucky then we was able to get some rest and my parents was able to get some sleep to.

Just like *meow*... and then * pew, pew*... she's gone. Just like *snap* that. Gone in an instant. She lived a long, great 43 years. But who am I? I'm her daughter. We were very close, and we shared many memories from the time i was born up until now. For example, the time I was 7, i'm 15 now, and i was learning to be polite and ask humans for food by looking cute. On the first day my mom taught me, she went first and sge did it with ease. Then it was my turn. I went up to a child and looked as cute as i could. Just as the child was about to pet me, this bigger human, I guess it was his mother, came over and kicked me. Me and my mom ran away together back home and told me, '' See, Amilyee, I told you not to go to that human, but you went anyway and look what happened!" she laughed. Then, she took me to get a cone of ice cream from The Cat's Pawlor to make me feel better. SHe ordered my favorite ice cream flavor, Mother's Milk. and all was right again.

If you've ever moved you may have felt the way I have. Now this whole moving "thing" didn't seem to bad to me in the beginning, probably due to the fact that I was only 8 years old. Though I didn't exactly know that we were moving out of the county and away from my friends, that was the surprise to me. That reason specifically hit me the hardest. Either way it could have gone worse, but it went pretty well after awhile of settling in, fixing ,and changing my life style.

I hope I will not make you feel uncomfortable what I am about to write you in this message. But I been have these naughty sexual fantasy about you and I know you don't want to read about it, but here's it goes. The telephone rings ten minutes after midnight and you were on the other end of the phone, start to flirt on the phone. Saying you can't sleep come over so we could talk about our togetherness, I say okay I will walk to your home. So I walk to this apartment complex where you stayed, ring the door ring, you open the door grab me pull me in your apartment complex, and start kissing as you shut the door as you have me against the door. I say I thought you wanna talk, you say I just said that to get you here, after moments later we was

Going to the same high school my brothers graduated from meant that within a month the students, teachers and staff knew me only as Chang. At the time, a majority of my life was school and sleep so I accepted being identified only by my surname. Chang put me in a mask that sat comfortably on my face as I myself sat idly by in the corner hoping the next four years will pass by quickly. It wasn’t until I took the small steps like joining Model UN or displaying my art in public galleries during my senior year that I became aware of the voice I had. As I spoke and communicated to my fellow delegates on how to solve the nuclear arms crisis with the DPRK on our imaginary agenda, the leader hiding in my head revealed itself to me. With a prompt tone

As I descended the red, white, and blue stairs to the back yard I saw a large grill surrounded with kids with empty plates and an excited look on their faces. As I peered over their shoulders I saw nearly every type of meat a grocery store could provide. Everything from burgers to pork chops were being lathered in barbeque sauce driving all of the surrounding kids mad with delight and anticipation. There were also a few tables set up in the backyard with equally delectable placed there. On one table, it seemed like everything short of the table was deep fried. Catfish, wings, okra, and biscuits lined the table giving it somewhat of a golden glow attracting many of the partygoers, myself included. Directly next to it was a table that resembled

True, I was scared to say it to you because I didn't want a look stupid or a creep to you Kasia. I know I was going to A Chinking -out.when I try to say it on Friday. So here it goes, I need your help with something, and it's going to hurt me more than you. I need you to crush me because I have puppy-dog love and Crush on you we both know it one side. It will help me be a better friend to you because I know I'm not a good friend. I need your help, and I don't want to lose you as a friend, so I need your help with this, I hope you understand. When i'm With you am stuck in pass I don't want to be there.