Personal Narrative: Moving To America

Even though it hasn’t been a long time since our family has moved to America, it feels like a lifetime ago. I can barely remember the days of walking around barefoot and only having a small piece of bread to eat, while here everyone has shoes to wear and eats pasta multiple times a week. How my life has changed in such a short time. Everyone and everything moves at such fast pace here, if one blinks they can miss a lifetime. Back in Sicily, the days drug on while everyone went through the motions of their days on the farm. There are many differences between Sicily and here in America, but the first time I laid my eyes on the Statue of Liberty, I knew I was meant to be an American.

Growing up in Puerto Rico, my biological father was in and out of jail for failing to obey the court rules. As a result, my mother became my mom and dad. Although I had to experience that, I was a straight A student all throughout elementary school.

The first time I’ve met my parents was when I was five. When they approached me at the airport, I did not know who they were. When I found out that they were my parents, I did not know how to react — I was excited, but also scared. Standing in front of me were two people whom I listened to the voices of for the past five years and spoke casually with on the phone, but meeting them in person was a whole different story.

I had never seen such beautiful trees. Their colors were bright, and beautiful and their leaves were spotted or striped in different patterns. Their lines sharp, yet pleasing. They were soft to the touch, but the longer you touched the harder they became. Their trunks were slender at the top, but curved in such a way that made me feel as though I could melt down together with them. As I lay there beside them I feel their warmth seep into my body. I felt as though Mother Nature had taken me into her arms and I rest my head on her breast. I felt more at home and at peace in that moment than I had in a long time and I wished that I never had to

Coming to the U.S was a big decision. I did not realize it until I was about to leave. It came to my belief that my life has changed. Leaving my friends, family behind was hard and It was a big adjustment while in the U.S. From the cultural shock, to speaking English all the time and adapting to the school system. But so far it has been exciting and a successful experience. I am not a citizen yet but happy 4th of July to all Americans who make this country great.

I was born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico. But when I was eight years old, my life transformed completely. I was no longer the smart little girl sitting in front of the class, but the English learner in the back of the classroom. My transition to the United States was not easy. For the first months, I have no friends, no one to sit with at lunch, and most importantly no idea what was going on in class. Even though I had years to learn the language, reaching that goal seem unreachable. However, I slowly improved and each year I had new accomplishments. Even though I have now spent more than half of my life in this country, I will never forget those days in the beginning. The confusion I brought along everywhere I went as I was introduced to a

I was very sick with the asthma when I was very young. My asthma was very heavy so my dad took me if I feel better. My Antie knew that I was very sick so she invited me to Nazrteh. Nazreth is found in the country side of Ethiopia. The air is exhaust from the factory in my city Addis Ababa. I will never forget Nazreth which is a city in Ethiopia. It was winter time; the rain was light when I got to my auntie’s house. There were not many people and it was quiet; the green grasses were very attractive because they were very natural. There were no flowers but I remember everything was green. There was fresh air, the wind moved through the trees, there was cloudy weather with no sun, and everything was very beautiful. Nazreth is the most important city for me because I feel completely well when I go there.

It was late July, the heat of the summer, and my family was looking for something to do. My father had heard the county fair was going on, and our family went to ride the rides. Clouds sailed across the sky, and I had never seen anything as beautiful. It was as hot as the desert, and when we got to the fairgrounds, I was stunned by the many buildings and the large amount of people there. I was particularly interested in a big barn where I seen animals walking around. Little did I know what I was going to get myself into.

Today I got the chance to visit a new community park in the Pacific Northwest. It happened to be on beautiful day during spring. As I was taking in the sights and there was a slight breeze that carried the scent of cut grass. The park looked so pristine, as if it had been landscaped with scissors. I chose a seat that was near the playground to eat my sack lunch. The sound of children throughout the park carried on the breeze. As I relaxed in the warmth, I finished my lunch slowly. The lunch was simple yet perfect for the moment. A turkey sandwich, with a few pepper slices to add some zing. I made a point to enjoy the serenity of it all, trying to forget about my worries of the day; what would be pressing tomorrow. The atmosphere that day seemed

As I walked on a sandy path, I took a moment to admire the scenery. The mountains and their snow capped tips looked so mighty and big, that I felt small and inconspicuous. The pine trees swayed back and forth, and pronghorn pranced on the brilliant green grass. Everything seemed so beautiful. Bison wallowed across the cold rocks as the geysers spouted hot water. It was an animal’s paradise.I tried to imagine the whole world being this peaceful and spectacular. The misty morning air tickled my face as I started to strut down the path again.

Then we departed on a misty morning and entered on to a sinuous dirt track. After a bumpy ride, we arrived at the antiquated farmhouse. Soon as I step outside, I instantly smelled the summery scent of flowers and a mob of bees humming around the petals. However, the sultry air started to desiccate my skin. Suddenly, I saw an archaic wash-out wooden barn with a discolored metal roof attached on the hillside. Then, Uncle Bob gave me an interminable tour of his hefty farmland. Far beyond the horizon, I saw rows of rice fields which were irrigated from spring water of the neighboring mountains. Also, flocks of chickens freely roamed around the marshland.

When we finally reached, my first thought of the place was, Wow! This school is so nice!. We entered though a large gate with a driveway that lead into a building. On either side of the road the were beautiful trees that I had heard the students themselves had planted. The principal of the school was waiting outside. The principal welcomed us into the large building and sat us down for some tea. While him and my parents talked, I took a quick look outside. This seemed to be where the principal and his family lived. Next to the door, there were handmade paintings of men, women, and children in a village doing daily chores. There were also animals and plants. I was amazed by the art skills of the students. A little farther ahead, there was a lovely garden filled with colorful flowers. I figured that the kids here had also planted these.

The sun had just kissed the hill, giving warm color to the sky, but I was feeling cold. The excitement in my heart was slowly losing its fire. My group was lost, and I felt alone, in the crowd of trees, a cold crowd perhaps. “Sandhya, did you read all the information? It is two hour long hike. You have hardly ever walked an hour. Take rest at home. You would not be able to walk all the way. ” I remembered the wise words of my mother. However, I was here walking slowly through the dense forest defying my mother’s advice. I along with Nitisha and Puja were making loud noises with our steps, crushing the fallen leaves, and the broken twigs. I could hear the constant buzzing sounds of the mosquitoes and the crickets chirping. I was keeping calm until a little lizard scattered off through the grass. Adrenaline rushed through every vein in my body as I heard a strange, yet terrifying growling sound. At that moment, every instinct in my body told me to run. I looked everywhere; all I could see were my two friends, and the cold quiet forest. Even worse my anxiousness increased as I tried to locate where the sound was coming from. Trees, flowers, and everything else where my eyes reached looked lifeless. I felt as if they had no soul and I was slowly losing mine.

After a 30 to 40 minutes’ walk through a rough road full of big and small gray rocks, light brown sand, like the one on the sea, and under the shinning hot sun, we got to the corral where the cattle were. Once in there, we took out all the twelve cows, three bulls, and the calf to a little stream close to the corral to drink some water. I could feel how my disinterest to see these animals disappear as long as we got there and started to walk these gorgeous animals to the stream. I

I stopped at my parents and pick up my thirteen year old daughter, Melissa. We had been living there for almost a week. It had felt strange to wake up in my childhood bedroom after 19 years of living elsewhere. Melissa is my youngest child and the only one of my three children still living at home, and we were both almost giddy with excitement. As we drove in, we could see the house set on our well-manicured two and ½ acres lot. The old growth trees lined the driveway which circle around another group of trees and lilac bushes, it was like driving into a park. The number of trees and the privacy of the lot is