“Papa, no te vayas!” (Daddy, don’t go!) Those were the words that I said with tears streaming down my face every time my dad left our home in Mexico to return to California. I recall this fractured family existence, this inevitable sacrifice of separation in order to survive for seven long years, until my parents decided that it was time to reunite in the United States and finally become a stable family. While the United States was a new setting for my family, it was not a new place for me as it was my birth country. Yet, I remember feeling harassed and excluded, common emotions among immigrants to the U.S. and this new emotion created a fear I was unaccustomed to; I felt scared of this new lifestyle and of the limited possibilities.
When I
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All my teacher did was asked me, “Le entiendes (Do you understand)?” I would just nod “no” while millions of thought were exploding on my head. I didn’t understand why he was a teacher. Most likely he didn’t even know what to be a teacher meant. All I wanted to do was learned I didn’t want to be isolated and send to the blue carpet to read Clifford while the other kids where either playing games in the computer or doing their work. The inability to complete daily tasks that my classmates could complete often left me feeling as though I did not belong. I felt that I simply attended class to ruin their perfect picture, but when an opportunity arose I took advantage of …show more content…
After the transition, everything became the opposite of how it was in the original classroom. My new teacher dedicated his time to help me learn English; his kindness inspired me to commit myself to learn. He wasn’t Hispanic and spoke a little Spanish. He didn’t isolated me, he would involve in the class discussions. When he assigned work after dismissing everyone he would go with me and made sure I understood what I was supposed to do. One day he had a meeting with my parents and told them that I was a smart kid and the only thing holding me behind was the language, so he offered to help after school every day to give me English lessons. I had an opportunity right in front of me and I took advantage of it. I started with the alphabet and made my way to getting reclassified in five years, by the end of my eighth grade year.
I began high school as a fluent English speaker yet there were still many vocabulary that I did not understand. However, I did not give up and when I finally reached the eleventh grade; I took an AP English Language class. This class proved to be more challenging but I did not give up; in fact, I enjoyed the challenge. I knew that if I accepted the challenge, my only option was to successfully complete the course. This was when I realized that I thrive on academic challenges, as they make me grow. I passed my class and I learned that the
"Yesenia tu tienes una chispa" said a much older white haired man. At that moment how could a snot nosed brat understand the importance of words coming out of this man's mouth? A big part of me today traces back to words my grandfather so sweetly spoke to me and to the tenderness and love he shared with me. "Yesenia you have a spark" He said it to me I was raised to believe I am unique. The first time my grandfather and I were separated was when my parents made the decision to move to the United States. When you're as young as I was, you don't really understand where you're going or why everyone is crying, or the fact that your life is about to change. Coming to the United States caused chaos in my family. Those first years were hard I wasn't used to an unstable household. Later, my parents divorced that led to hate and
I was always a precocious child, yet argumentative and rebellious. I did not want to accomplish anything following a pattern set for me. I wanted to forge my own way. This determination set me at odds with my mother, and has defined our relationship all these years. It has surely led me down my own irregular path in life, and placed me in position to be the family’s black sheep.
As I walked into the house, my parents were waiting for me in the living room. I did not know what was happening, but from the look in their eyes, I knew that was something wrong. My mother sat me down to tell me that my father had lost his business. The situation seemed so hectic; yet, the conversation felt like it lasted a lifetime. Finding out this news was detrimental to my family because my father had worked hard in America to build this business. I learned that my father had to give up his business and, as result my family had to start over, and find a new way to make a living.
I was born in Bogota, Colombia where most people are catholics. Thus, I was baptized at the age of five. I also went to a catholic school from kindergarten up to second grade. However, I barely attended church because my parents were busy throughout the week to go to church. Then, at the age of nine my family and I moved to the United State.
Change is always difficult, sometimes it takes tie for people to get used to new lives our too new environments but all is a part of growing up. When I first came here it was difficult, I had to learn a new language, make new friends, and adjust to a totally different life style. There millions of people that like me come here every day with the intention of making their dreams come true and to have new opportunities, and to have a better future. We emigrate to United States because we here see, the things we often lack in our home countries, like for me and I’m sure many Cubans we came here looking for freedom, freedom to express our feelings and our though without the are the fear of going to jail. Wiesel is an immigrant just like many of
Growing up as a military brat wasn't easy, there were many places we had to go to and we didn't have a choice. One of those places was here ,Illinois, and I was ten when we made the move here.This move was probably the hardest thing I have ever physically gone through considering all of my mom and I's stuff was lost in the ocean because the place we moved from was Hawaii.So, when we got here me and mom both didn't have our stuff but the rest of my family did.To make matters worse my dad was being shipped out to South Korea and we didn't have a house. For a whole year we were homeless,we put what was left of our stuff into storage and moved in with grandma. As terrible as that year was, it taught me a lot about what some people actually live
Hi, I’m Anna Sophia Wager and I am from Germany. I immigrated to the United States in 1908. There was a big drought and my mother and father were very ill. I was helping my parents and my other family. One day, my father pulled me aside after school. I was a teacher at Berlin British School. He talked very softly. “Anna Sophia,” My father said, “Here is a ticket to Americana. Go and find Ben.” Ben was my older brother. My parents gave him a ticket to the United States. I looked at the ticket. It was a ticket that was golden brown. I gave my father a hug and ran to my room. I started packing, I didn’t know what was ahead of me. It was finally my third week on the crowded boat. When I look own the steerage door I see the dirty faces, hard lumpy beds, and chunky slimy soup.
The year of 2014 late summer I came to America with dreams and hopes, expecting the better for me and my family. I have family that had came before me; however they weren't that respectful for someone that had been living in Mexico their whole life. I used to get put down by the way I looked, talked or how I acted. I recall that they would talk in english about me , and make fun of me , so I wouldn’t understand what they were saying. I have cousins that don't even appreciate all the sacrifices that one as a parent has to make , so they are able to give a better life for their kids. On the good side of the story I would always keep in mind how I came here? thanks to who?and why?. So I realize that I fitted in the Hispanic community by attending to Hispanic events, playing soccer, and cooking hispanic food.
My life in my perspective has been extraordinary. I have been fortunate enough to travel the United States and live in various parts as well. Each environment that I have been exposed to have differed from one another. The environments in which I was raised changes When my father received his orders. then my family and I have to move to another region of the United States. with these experiences, I have been well-rounded to accommodate to my new and unfamiliar surroundings. throughout my life, I've been privileged to see the world through my own eyes instead of reading about it end books and watching it on television. for example, Honolulu, Hawaii 2 people who have never been the entire island is a resort. but in all actuality the island experiences poverty. without me having to move every so often I wouldn't have known that but the experience of knowing that there are a big world out there very productive gains.
Coming to America about six years ago and adapting to the new world proved to be a real challenge for me. Aside from the cultural shock, I had to adapt to the usage of a foreign language in almost everything, which in turn forced me to work harder in my studies than in the previous years. My parents sacrificed a lot for their family. They left their country, their own business, and their family behind so that my sisters and I could have a better future. I came to America when I was in the eighth grade. I did not speak English fluently or understood it very well. When I got the admission in middle school my counselor gave the course selection sheet. I did not even know what courses to pick because the courses were almost alien in nature, or
Growing up in the US as an immigrant, my childhood was a little different from most people’s. I faced many struggles due to the differences in cultures, social, and economics. However, I was able to overcome all those challenges and become a more humble, responsible, and determined individual because of my ability to adapt quickly, be compassionate, and stay goals-oriented.
When we are reading a book, if we always read the same easy book that we read since we are the kindergartens, we wouldn’t learn new things. We would just read the same ten page over and over again, without knowing anything new. Although I was born in another country, the United States is the place I feel like home. When I came here (five years ago), I was a kind of a person, who has no perseverance or determination at all, and I was so negative, plus, I thought that I was the best in the world (which is not true). But all of that started to change suddenly when I get to know more about this country. Therefore, in here, I learned lots of new lessons, especially the lessons about life. So now, I am a persistent person, I believed, who won’t give
Today our family has been publicly embarrassed. We were in the town market when four policemen got ahold of us, and beat us. I could see my grandfather restraining himself from fighting back because it would surely put them in the hospital, and when recovered, grandfather would be tried. This put us over the edge, and our family decided that enough was enough. Our whole family sat down for dinner, and we decided that it was time we emigrate to the United States. Chung is very patriotic and his dream was to join the Chinese army after school, so this decision was quite a blow to his future. We calmed him down and told him we would discuss this more, but Mu Lan and Shi Yang are almost 100 percent sure that we need to leave. I feel uneasy with
This letter is to detail when I crossed the border into the United States. In 1999 I arrived to Tijuana, Mexico I do not remember the day or the month exactly. A lady came up wondering that if I was going to cross the United States, and I said yes, then she took me to a men. The man said to me that it could help me to cross into the United States, and I accepted. He took me to Tecate, Mexico where he had 10 more people, when we arrived to tecate, Mexico at 6 in the afternoon, We went up to the first 8 in a truck and we were driving us as 1 1/2 approximately. From there we went walking in the mountains, we walked about 5 hours, until we came to a river or canal of water there they already had a chamber of water used as a lifeguard. They told us that this water was a dirty water or black waters.
The plane took off and were in the air leaving the place I had only ever known. I remember when my parents told me and my two brothers that we would be moving to the United states. At the time I didn’t know where we would end up or how we were even getting there. All I knew was I would be in a totally different landscape with a lot of ethnically different people whom I have never met or seen before.