Life is full of experiences and exploration. In life everyone have something that has changed the way they recognize things. Most things change a person’s perception because of the experience they had in the past. I never imagined that my life would ever change. Being born in a different country and end up in a different place could be very hard and frustrating. This was back in November 2007, in India. I was 12 years old. I was enjoying my normal life. But I didn’t know that my life will change surprisingly. One day I came home from the school and my parents made decision of moving to the United States. I was totally amazed at that moment. My parents wanted move so that me and my sister can have a better life, education, and opportunity. New country means new language, new culture, new people and different lifestyle. I never thought of being somewhere where you don’t know the language and people. For my parent and me the difficult part was learning new language. Since, I and my sister were going to school, so we knew Basic English. But for my parents adopting new language after so many years was really tough. Since, my dad had his own business, he also had to take care that before we move to us. For me adapting a new language was tough because where I came from we don’t verbalize English. So, before we move to the United States I had to get that primary knowledge of English in a short duration. At that time I consummated my one semester of 9 the grade. My parents thought of dropping me out school, so I can just focus on English. Since then my main focus was to learn English. I think that was the hardest thing I have done in my life. Day by day I was learning incipient thing, but I wasn’t quit understanding the language. The time was running fast and I had a couple days left to spend some time with my family and friends. At that time I realized of people I will miss, and I wouldn’t able to meet them again. Even for my parents, it was the toughest time leaving all families and friends behind and start a new life in a new place.
I got to experience living in two different places. They were both very different but, at the same time they had some things in common. I got the privilege of living in Mexico for about three years which was when I was five and once I turn seven I moved back to the United States where I had to repeat first grade. Living in Mexico and living in the United States was great but, the value of money, the language,and the weather were some of the situations that could be easily compared and contrast.
When I was 13, my family bought a farm in Monkey's Elbow, Kentucky. I had been use to the fast pace of the city I had lived in , Frankfort. I had thought transitioning from a city to more of a rural area wouldn’t have a big affect on me, but it did, a major one. In the late summer of 2012 my family bought the farm i now live on located along highway 146. The trips between our houses were unbearable. Lasting around three hours each from the farm to Frankfort several times a day.
Stepping out of my first plane ride, I experience an epiphany of new culture, which seems to me as a whole new world. Buzzing around my ears are conversations in an unfamiliar language that intrigues me. It then struck me that after twenty hours of a seemingly perpetual plane ride that I finally arrived in The United States of America, a country full of new opportunities. It was this moment that I realized how diverse and big this world is. This is the story of my new life in America.
A few months before all of this I was pleased with my calm life in a local city of Taiwan. I settled there at the age of two with my family, and things were going well so far. Because I lived there for ten years, the longest time that I ever spent living in one place, I had made really good friends and was not looking forward to any significant changes although my mom had told me a long time ago, we might move to USA to settle with our uncle and grandma. My mom also told me that the other reason we move is for a better education and life there but I was not listening at that time. I thought she was just joking around because my brother and I have always expected to have a vacation to other countries. By the time I finished my first year of middle school I knew that this was nearly impossible. My family was already packing up, cleaning out the house, and reserving four airplane tickets to USA.
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.
My most memorable trip of my life was when I first moved to the United States in 2008. I was eight years old when I moved from the small city of HaIfa in Israel to the big bay area. Israel can fit into just California about 20 times! I moved here wIth my mom ,dad ,older brother ,and younger sIster. There were many big obstacles and trips my famIly knew we had to take in order to feel more comfortable and at home here In the United States.
It was a beautiful, sunny day in South Florida. I was six years old, playing by the pool with my new puppy. I loved swimming in the pool almost every day after school. I also enjoyed going out on our boat after school or crossing the street and going to the beach. My father came home one evening with some interesting news. Now, I do not remember exactly how I felt about the news at that time, but it seemed like I did not mind that much. He had announced that we were going to move back to my birth country, Belgium. I had been living in Florida for five years and it was basically all I had known so I did not know what to expect. I had to live with my mom at first, and then my sister would join us after she graduated high school and my father finished settling things. I remember most of my earlier childhood by watching some old videos of me playing by the pool and dancing in the living room. It seemed like life could not get any better. However, I was excited and impatient to experience a new lifestyle. I realized that I could start a whole new life, make new friends and learn a new language. Belgium was not as sunny as South Florida but it has much better food and family oriented activities. Geographic mobility can have many positive effects on younger children, such as learning new languages, being more outgoing, and more family oriented; therefore, parents should not be afraid to move around and experience new cultures.
Leaving everything behind is not easy. Moving to a foreign country and starting from zero will take time and patience. After a while, it will be easier, but with hard work and dedication, soon it will feel like home and as if the struggle never happened.Furthermore, a few month later the challenge will decline, and a person will start to feel at home
The day I moved away, a lot of things were going through my young mind. As I took my last look at my home, I remembered all the fun times I had with my family and friends through out my life. Now I was moving 800 miles away from all of that with no insight on what lied ahead for me. As my family and I drove away from our Michigan home, I looked out the window wondering what Virginia would be, and what my friends were doing. A lot of things were going through my mind at the time. At the time my main worry was if I would make any friends, and how I would adjust to everything. During the whole drive down, my mother would often let me know that everything would be all right and I would like it. Trying to be strong and hold back my tears, I just shook my head no, wondering why we had to move so far away. Life would be different for me and I knew it would.
A Whole New World Imagine moving to a whole new country without any type of idea of what this new place might be like except things heard from family,movies or even the media. The first idea most immigrants get when they arrive in a new country is how to fit in and what are the important values and customs in this country. Most immigrants have heard of America from Television, radio and any type of media and have many ideas of what it would be like in America before they even arrive. Some immigrants even believe that moving to America would be the hardest part. Immigrants adapt to the American experience through Assumptions about America,Moving to America and after they arrive,Learning to acculturate to America.
Coming to a totally new country can be difficult if a person has no knowledge about the country. It's stressful when the language makes it difficult to communicate with others. Its also embarrassing when a grown person has to ask what does the sign above a shelf, says or when people can’t help out because they simply can’t understand what you are trying to say.
Watching me suffer with prolonged hunger, while maintaining my gratitude for the simple things in life, spawned in my parents a deep motivation to move on. Despite having nothing to eat, I felt thankful and was always happy to attend school, reveling in the peaceful moments of my childhood. Recognizing this unique quality, my parents promised that they would one day take me to a place where hard work could lead to a better future. In a world where our demise seemed inevitable, my parents managed to realize this dream by emigrating to the United States just before I tuned eight years old. Although they left me behind with my grandmother, they promised to find a way for me join them in the
Everyone has dream in life. Some people have a dream to visit different places and some people want to become successful in future. Likewise I also had a dream to come USA and to become successful in future. I was 17 when I came here with my parents. I heard a lot from my friends about their first day in USA. They said it was so sad however mine was the best day and the long day in my life which I can’t ever forget. I still remember that day in USA; I was sleeping in the airplane because I was so tired of traveling 18 hours flight. I was in a deep sleep suddenly I heard someone was calling my name because of that I wake up. It was my mom who was calling me. She told me to look outside I rub my eyes and looked outside. I still remember that moment when I first looked California, USA through plane window, those tall building which I saw in movies looks like a plane ground. I was so excited to be here in USA I feel like it is a piece of heaven.
What I do know is that I do not know what awaits me. I have accepted the unknown, but also look forward to the invisible possibilities it presents. Any new location will offer challenges which may affect oneself physically, emotionally, and intellectually.
Everyone reacts differently to new environments.While some are excited others are upset to have to leave important people behind. Culture shock comes in many different forms and sizes, some may find it harder to adjust than others. The difficulties to adjusting don’t always show up right away (TeensHealth). Culture shock is experienced in many different ways some common feelings are; sadness, loneliness, anxiety, trouble concentrating, feeling left out, negative feelings towards the new culture and frustration (TeensHealth). These feelings are temporary, eventually people get used to their surroundings. Although, many have been planning on the change for a long time, many still experience the impact of culture shock (International Students and Culture Shock). A huge majority of the cultures norms are based on language.