Bel

739 Words2 Pages

Coming to a foreign country is a daunting experience. When I first moved to America, I had to leave everything behind such as, - my family,friends, and life back home. Although I welcomed the change, I was also afraid. This fear hovered over me for a long time before I had the courage to let it go. My experiences, both good and bad, allowed me to break out of my shell, become a leader for my family, and strive against all the odds to achieve my goals.

When I first moved to America I did not speak to anyone in my class for an entire year. I was simply too afraid. Although I slowly began to break out of my shell, the process was long and painful. Every time someone bullied me about my accent or ethnicity, I retreated back into my circle and hid away. In order to be who I am today I had to spend a lot of time self-motivating myself.Today, I am the person who I am proud to be. I am a strong and confident individual that welcomes challenges. The journey, the hardships, and racism that I went through, throughout my life have shaped me into a strong individual.

I come from a low income family with no background. My parents do not speak English. When we first moved to America, I had to teach myself English and then teach it to my parents. It is agonizing and heartbreaking to see how hard my parents work for my siblings and I. As immigrants, they work day and night in order to provide us with a better education and life. My mom leaves for work at 4 am and comes back at 7pm. My dad leaves at 5 am and comes back at 8 pm. Ever since my sister and I were young, we had to act like adults. We did all the chores, study, cook and more. My parents sacrificed a lot for me, just so I would have a taste of success that they never...

... middle of paper ...

...lties that Charter presented to them. In Charter, I had to continuously work hard in order to catch up with the other students. I had to teach myself how to write essays, how to do algebra, basic geography and more. In the end it was all worth it. My ethnicity, my experiences, and my parents’ sacrifices have taught me to strive on and never give up. Even if it’s difficult, I refuse to give up without a fight. Through the lessons I learned and the challenges I faced, I realize that my goal in life isn’t just to succeed, but to serve others as well. I do not view success as having a higher grade, or a better job, but what I do to help others along the way. With this motto, I desire to live a life where I can be proud to say that I did something to leave an impact in other people’s lives, and that I helped others get through their struggles just as I got through mine.

Show More
Related

  • Essay On Coming To America

    642 Words  | 2 Pages

    “You are in America, speak English.” As a young child hearing these words, it did not only confuse me but it also made me question my belonging in a foreign country. As a child I struggled with my self-image; Not being Hispanic enough because of my physical appearance and not being welcomed enough in the community I have tried so hard to integrate myself with. Being an immigrant with immigrant parents forces you to view life differently. It drives you to work harder or to change the status quo for the preconceived notion someone else created on a mass of people. Coming to America filled me with anxiety, excitement, and even an unexpected wave of fear.

    Read More

  • My Immigrant Parents

    519 Words  | 2 Pages

    Affected by my family, my background, and everything around me, I was born in a family who is the first generation to get here. My grandmother, and my parents, along with some other relatives, moved here in search of better opportunities, like those from other countries for the same idea. They started out fresh but had a hard time to get started, when I was little, I assumed it had to be somewhat easy, but for people who do not know English it is like starting from scratch, but they did well, they’ve made it.

    Read More

  • My First Generation Immigrants

    526 Words  | 2 Pages

    I, however, have had everything handed to me on a silver platter. Everything from my citizenship to my car, comes from the sacrifices my parents have made. The pressure on first generation children of immigrants to prove you were worth your parents' sacrifice stays with you your entire life. In order to give back to my parents, I plan on getting into a good college and finding a career that will provide comfort for both my parents and myself. I also plan on keeping my cultural identity and sharing my heritage with the next generation.

    Read More

  • My Mexican American Culture

    603 Words  | 2 Pages

    My parents did everything they knew to help my sister and I learn and respect our Mexican culture. Born into American culture but raised by Hispanic parents, often was difficult for me. Since I was little I had to manage and balance two very different cultures at the same time. There were many times while growing up that I encountered complex situations in regards to language, whether to speak Spanish or English and when it was appropriate. I felt a lot of pressure having to act as an interpreter for my parents when we were out in public. At home I was told to speak Spanish so I would not forget, but at school I was taught to only speak English with my teachers and friends. However, when we would go visit family in Mexico, I was expected to only speak in Spanish, since speaking in English in front of family members who only spoke Spanish was seen as disrespectful. So learning two languages has been very beneficial to my life and for my family. By

    Read More

  • Junior Rotc Cadet Creed

    322 Words  | 1 Pages

    Within the creed there is the line “I will bring credit to my family, country, school, and the corps of cadets”. To me, this promotes understanding that someone can never truly accomplish something alone. Everything a person has learned has come from another person. Therefore, one’s path to success can usually be partially accredited to another positive influence such as a

    Read More

  • What Are The Challenges Of Moving To America

    789 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many challenges that one must face as we go through life. I have faced a few myself, however, none proved more challenging than moving from my country; Jamaica, to the United States and subsequently moving to the state of Wisconsin. Deciding to leave behind family and friends is the hardest decision to make, however, there are a few things that I was not prepared for that made the transition more challenging than expected. Moving away from all that is familiar culturally, socially and economically can be even more of a daunting task than imagined. There are things that are taught to us by our parents and others that are more dictated by our environment than anything else, so when I immigrated to the United States I had three major challenges to overcome.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Moving To America

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nobody really likes moving. At least I know, I don 't. Moving to another place you have no idea about is tough. When I was 14, my father petitioned my family to move to the United States. Upon hearing that news from my mother, I was devastated. Devastated that I have to leave the place that I grew up, leaving all my friends and family. I have to travel 10,000 miles across the glove to live in a place I have never been to. I have very little idea about United States before moving, I have only seen this place through screen, watched movies such as "High School Musical." From what I have heard and seen life seemed so much easier and happier in the US, but once I stepped out of the plane, I knew it would not be even close to what I have pictured in my mind.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative Essay: My Mother's Journey To America

    1373 Words  | 3 Pages

    When my mother arrived in Paterson, she hated it and thought it was so ugly and even cried to go back to Mexico. After six months my mother was able to go back to Mexico to get her green card, which showed that she was a legal citizen of America. My mother’s main priority was about making sure to go to school and get an education. She was able to go to Kennedy High School but hated it since she only spoke Spanish and couldn’t understand anything. The only thing she was able to truly excel in was in Mathematics which she really loved. She was able to have classes taught to her in Spanish as she got accustomed to English. For my mother, learning English was the hardest thing she ever had to and it was very stressful for her learning English in high school. When my mother came to America she had dreamed of having a better life, becoming a teacher, being able to study, be reunited with her parents but she realized she wouldn’t be able to have that dream

    Read More

  • My Immigration to America Story

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since I still wanted to make friends, I desperately continued to try to break down the barrier between my peers and I and I slowly began to succeed. As I began making more and more friends, my experience in the U.S. started to become a happier one. Although there were still many things about American culture that I did not understand, I chose to face my fears head on which lead to a more content life. I realized that no matter where you are from, what obstacles you had to face, or what social class you belong to, coming to America gives you an opportunity to build a new and better life for you and your family. The journey to learn this lesson was not an easy one, but I’m glad I learned it.

    Read More

  • My Family Coming To America

    934 Words  | 2 Pages

    I was the first of the “Simić” family to be born in America and my parents (fathers side) were the first to come to America and prosper during their stay. However, prosperity did not come easy for them. Both parents came from rags, had been raised with old values (do what is told with no exceptions, etc), and overall a very different environment than someone who grew up in America during the 70s. My parents had endured communist rule from birth to their twenties. During the breakup of Yugoslavia and the rise of a republic (Republic of Serbia), financial problems arose, scarce food supply and money were a daily worry, traveling five hours a day for a college education, showering in the sink, and overall just a bundle of misfortune. Compared to myself, I do not have to travel five hours for an education. I do not have to worry about food on the table or financial instability as my parents did. I do not have the right to complain about how “tough” my life is when the life for my parents were 10 times worse. Therefore, knowing that my parents had it extremely worse than myself, I am proud of where they came from, come to a country in which they knew no English at all somehow prosper.

    Read More

  • Reflective Essay: My Cultural Identity

    1064 Words  | 3 Pages

    Despite my efforts, I failed in the department. I upset my parents many times, because we got into heated debates about how people of other races than us are bad. But after what my middle school teacher taught me and opened my eyes as to how things are wrong, I started to develop my own mindset and broadened my network of friends. I no longer listened to what I was taught.

    Read More

  • My Personal Experience: Moving To Another Country

    1271 Words  | 3 Pages

    Moving to another country and starting a new chapter of life are two of the most difficult things in life. Nobody wants to change, including me. In my country, Vietnam, people usually says that "if you have a chance to live in the United States, your future will be so bright because living in America is living on a field that is full of gold." When I was young and still as a child, my parent told me that we will be leaving Vietnam and moving to the United States in the future. When I heard that, I was so happy. Four years ago, my family and I moved to the United States with the hope of having a better future and the happiness of family reunion with my grandparent. On the way to United State, we always thought, expected, and hoped that everything will be okay and fine. After few months we have been living in the new country, problems started to happen. My parents could not communicate and understand people who spoken English because they had no chance to study English back in Vietnam. In Vietnam, they only used motorcycle. When they came here, they had to learn how to drive cars. It was really hard for my parents to find jobs since they could not speak and understand English, could not drive either. Everything was new and we had to learn and start everything from the beginning. It was really hard for my parent, including me.

    Read More

  • Culture Shock

    1169 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is through the events in the journey of life that shapes and molds who we are as people. As for me, immigrating to America was one of those milestones that have shaped who I am. Those who have had the opportunity of moving from a different country to America know what a privilege it is. I felt the same honor to know that I would be journeying to the land of opportunity. Without hesitance, I spent the last two months packing and making the final preparations before moving to a new continent. Although it was a bittersweet time, leaving my beloved family behind, I knew that I couldn’t resist the treasure that waited for me in the new land. Coming from a developing nation the high level of sophistication that greeted me on arrival to America made feel like I was in paradise.

    Read More

  • Change and Transition in Life

    852 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even before arriving to the United States, the fear I felt was not having the familiarity of home (St. Lucia). Moving to the U.S meant that I had to start my life all over again. This time it would be without the unwavering support of my family and friends. Whether I succeeded or failed in school was entirely up to me. It wa...

    Read More

  • My College Admissions Essay: My Journey To High School

    535 Words  | 2 Pages

    When I arrived here, I did not understand a word of English. However, my parent didn't hold me back from attending school. They were determined that I will work twice as hard other kids, but I know it would be challenging. I was up for it because learning English will make life easier for me and make my parents proud. I am glad they didn't hold me back, because

    Read More

More about Bel

Open Document