Personal Narrative: Coming To America

I remember the first time I came to America; I was 10 years old. Everything was exciting! From getting into an airplane, to viewing magnificent, huge buildings from a bird’s eye view in the plane. It was truly memorable. After staying few days at my mother’s house, my father and I wanted to see what Dallas looks like. But because my mother was working the whole day, it wasn’t convenient for her to show us the area except only on Sundays. Finally, we went out to the nearby mall with my mother. My father and I were astonished after looking at a variety of stores. But after looking at different stores, we were finally tired and hungry, so we went into McDonald’s. Not being familiar with fast food restaurants, we were curious to try American

food so we went in. The place was filled with people; because of that we stood for few minutes in line. Everything from the process of ordering food to seeing how quickly they give out food for the people, was different from back home. In Ethiopia food centers were more like restaurants. Rather than waiting in line we would sit down and order food and wait about 30 minutes or more.

So while we were waiting to order food, the waiter said, “Next!” and my mother went forward.

It was our turn to order. We looked at the big overhead menu. The menu was overwhelming and hard to read, plus my family barely spoke English and had an accent. Not knowing what to order, I saw my mother feeling confused; there were many foods that was listed on the menu, and my mother didn’t know what they meant. While my mother was trying figure out which one to choose, the waiter started looking impatient and was acting aggressive. And to make things worse, one of the customers that was in the back said, “Hurry up! We are trying to eat.” Then my mom tried to frantically order, but the waiter interrupted my mom before letting her order and said, “I cannot understand what you are saying; please don’t waste the customer’s time.” My mom was speechless. The customers and the waiter were impatient and they were looking at us as if we were not supposed to be there. My mother failed to order and she was feeling embarrassed about it; while we were going out, I saw the employees pointing at us and making fun of our accent. Seeing that upsetting and unfair thing happen to my mom, at 10, I promised myself that I would financially and intellectually provide for my family so that we no longer endure the

discrimination.

During that time, I saw my mother was challenged with linguistic difficulties. And for that reason, not only was my mother unable to work places that an average person could in the States; she was also paralyzed by feeling that she was beneath everyone else. Even though my mother had been in America for 7 years, she was working day and night for a cheap reward as an assembler, and it doesn’t require one to speak English and that caused my mother not to improve. After 3 months staying in U.S., we went back to Ethiopia and stayed there for six years. During our time in Ethiopia, every time I learned something in my English class, I would teach my mom, too. We read beginner English books and children’s poems together. Last year my mom and I came to America. And to further her improvement in English, we watched English beginner videos after I came from school, and we would talk only in English. At first it was hard to express herself only in English, but by achieving progress every day she responded not just to me, but to other people as well. Now she is going to ESL English programs so she can learn how to write and to have an adequate English. For that to happen I would help out in cleaning the house so she would not stay up late after she takes her class at 8, because she has to go to work at midnight. My mother can order food right now with no problem and can communicate with others in English. She does not need me to fill out forms for jobs. My mother no longer has to endure the discrimination toward illiteracy.

My efforts to fight discrimination did not stop with my mother. I was the coordinator for multi-cultural day and helped foreign students in English as a tutor at my school. I plan to diminish prejudice and spread a feeling of wellbeing to minorities. In college I plan to lead and maintain diversity programs. I hope one day white, black, Asian, and red get united with tranquility and without discrimination. Like the wind that touches everything, a person also shouldn’t discriminate, rather view everyone the same way. Till then I will start by speaking to those who are silenced.