Narrative Essay On Immigration

1823 Words4 Pages

Hate, shame, and guilt are the emotions I internalized for fourteen years of my life as a result of crossing the border illegally. An event that brought me face-to-face with death and was detrimental to my life since the age of eight. A traumatic experience that has placed me in the hands of therapy sessions and antidepressants to strengthen my emotional stability.
I vividly recall being five years old, my mother and I going home after a wedding where she made the decision to drown her pain in alcohol. Being under the influence, mami collapsed in front of my eyes before entering our mint-blue front door. I did not know what was happening so I began to scream desperately for help. She tried to get up off the ground, but she was unable to do so. My initial thought was that she was going to die, and I did not know how to help her. She closed her eyes and for a moment, I thought she was gone. Tears were running down …show more content…

In the primary years, I frustratingly assimilated and forced myself to learn English and American culture like many other immigrant children. I missed my home in Mexico; but, unfortunately, returning voluntarily was not an option, because it is this country that gave mami the medical care she needed. The toughest years in my academic journey were in high school when I began to comprehend the significance of being an illegal immigrant. First, there was the stress caused by high expectations and the difficulty of earning outstanding grades 100% of the time. Secondly, there was the complication of not having a social security number and the barriers this posed when pursuing a higher education. Lastly, there were insensitive and threatening comments from educators who, instead of inspiring me to go against the odds, imposed fear and anxiety after confiding in them my immigration status. High school is where I learned to hate myself for being an

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