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My immigration story
My immigration story
Immigration story narrative
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My parents journey from Vietnam to America has impacted me emotionally through out the years by the stories they tell me. For them to say their aspiration was to come to America to have greater opportunities, for there family is breath taking. Without my parent’s journey and stories, my identity would be so plain and incomplete. For my parents, coming to America was very challenging, they wanted to leave their country due to the challenging lifestyle and opportunities. Although coming to America was challenging because of the certain qualifications; When my parents came to America, they did not understand much English. They understood some English because they’ve studied English in the Philippines before coming to America. They worked very
hard until one point in their life, they both had three jobs. Every time when my parents tell their stories about their journey, it is to remind me that not everyone is not born into an easy lifestyle. My parents came to America for one essential reason. They came to America because they wanted to have greater opportunities for them and their children. Not many people around the world were very fortunate to have an extravagant opportunity to come to America. Also they wanted to start a family that wouldn’t have to work hard at such young ages to help provide for the family. Instead, my parents worked hard for their future hoping that their children can do well school. This also means that their children will be able pursue their dream career. I find it interesting that some individuals who came to America starting out with nothing achieved more than individuals who live in America. I believe that my parent’s journey and stories is what makes up my identity. If my parents haven’t gone through what they did, I don’t think I would be where I am at today. I state this because ever since I was little, my parents would always say to do well in school because it will greatly affect my future. I took that into consideration personally and realized why parents actually come to America. From there on I wanted to make something out of myself; I wanted to be useful to my parents when they are in need. My families sacrifices is what shaped me into the individual that I am today. For that i am truly thankful for what my parents and i am happy to witness some of those hardships because they made me the man I am today.
In my younger and more vulnerable years, my parents and I immigrated from the Philippines to America in search of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It wasn't until I started maturing did I notice the obstacles I overcame, the accomplishments I achieved, and the objectives I set for myself that significantly contributed towards the achievement of my dream.
Father, computer server engineer, alcoholic, and felon. My dad, Jason Wayne DeHate, has influenced my life, not only genetically, but he has also improved my character and creativity throughout the years. Beginning at age two, I was cultured with profanity spit from rappers such as Eminem. While my mother was at work we had multiple videotaped “jam sessions” and coloring time that allowed for the foundation of friendship we have today. The jam sessions consisting of me mumbling and stumbling in front of the television, as he was “raising the roof” from his lazyboy. Since then, he has taught me how to rollerblade, change wiper blades, and play my favorite sport, tennis. Along with influencing my leisure activities and the music I enjoy, his prominent personality allows me to grow as a person. Being the only male figure in my immediate family, I
“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.
As I grew older, between the transition of a child to a teenager, I learned more about my family, its culture and background, and even some back story about how they came to the United States to the first place. Back at home, my parents are certainly not home for long and everyday we weren't
Being a first generation American is a wonderful blessing in many ways, you can strive for opportunities that were probably not available to your parents and you have a lot of control in the way you wish to lead your life. It can also be a great burden however; a lot can be expected of you. My parents immigrated to the United States after living seven difficult years in Jordan as refugees. They fled their home country of Iraq to Jordan with nothing but the clothes on their backs and me as a 6-month old child to escape imminent war. I witnessed my parents make great sacrifices during our time in Jordan, sacrifices they made just for the greater good of their children. So when the United Nations finally granted my family refuge into the United States my parents understood the magnitude of this great blessing.
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
In American society, learning to speak English properly is a crucial factor in assimilation. People who have decided to come to America have found it rather difficult to assimilate into American society for several reasons. One reason being that learning a new language is or can be considerably difficult depending on your age. This is so because the act of learning a new language such as English, is much more difficult for an elderly person than for one who has not reached adolescence. According to Grognet, for elderly people there are several factors that affect their willingness to learn. Among those factors are, physical health, mental health, cultural expectations, attitude, motivation and finally the ability to acquire the correct diction, and to suitable articulation (Grognet 296-297). For a person who has not reached the prepubescent age, it is...
While we were incredibly fortunate enough to escape the war, we continued to carry the trauma and distress of war well into our time in America, as several of our friends and relatives remained in our war torn hometown. I was too young to remember the trauma caused directly from the war that my parents are doomed to live with, However the pain of having to hear my mother sobbing through the night over the death of her sister is beyond enough to remind me of the tremendous opportunities I have been given here in America. My family was extremely fortunate to escape the war, but it would not have been possible without the best resource of all, my parents. The amount of steadfast, unconditional commitment which my parents had and continue to have for our family is beyond my level of comprehension. After escaping the war my parents were dedicated to giving our family an improved life compared to the one we left in the DRC. This dedication to a higher quality of life is the reason why my siblings and I have the opportunity to attend a university and accomplish something with our
When my parents had the opportunity to come to America, they didn’t hesitate. They wanted to come as fast as they could, but they were sad to leave some of their loved ones behind. Not all of them were lucky enough to get the chance to escape the torture Saddam was putting all of the Kurds through. My parents came to America with nothing. They had to work their way up to get to where they are now.
My father immigrated to the United States when he was ten years old. He worked hard in his childhood and strived to become the first member of his family to attend college. While I was growing up he had only two requests for me: that I only do what I truly enjoy doing and that I don’t forget my Indian heritage.
When those people first come to the U.S., they personally feel difficulty in communicating with others, even if english is taught in their native country. It is difficult for them to speak english and look for friends, they become shy speaking english and are afraid of making mistakes. They become scared of people not understanding them and getting confused by what they say, but eventually they generally adapt to the culture of speaking english. It is hard for them to accept english as a second language, but they become comfortable with it eventually. Tan exceeded in math and science but she did have a hard time getting good grades in english.
My Mother’s Intuition Introduction In Living in the Borderland, Jerome S. Bernstein describes the emergence of the borderland, which is “an evolutionary dynamic that is moving the western psyche to reconnect our overspecialized ego to its natural psychic roots” (9). Individuals with borderland personalities experience a reality outside the mainstream of western culture. This experience is called transrational reality, which is “an objective nonpersonal, nonrational phenomena occurring in the natural universe, information and experience that does not readily fit into standard cause and effect logical structure” (3). Often, these are the kinds of experiences that are “labeled and dismissed as superstition, irrational, and, in the extreme, abnormal or crazy” (3).
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.
Inspiration can come from many sources, when we are young we often looked to celebrities, athletes, or any sort of hero to help push us towards the goals we set; for myself it was my mother that inspired me to want to become a leader and pursue everything that leadership had to offer. Growing up living with a single mother had its normal difficulties and it had its not so common ones, by the time I was ten my mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer and after a six-year battle she was beaten cancer and declared cancer free. From the time she was diagnosed to today, she never let her diagnosis stop her from being a leader in our community in one way or another. After treatments she volunteered the precious few hours she did have to listen and offer support others undergoing treatment; she helped form the Breast in the Rockies Dragon boat team, which brought together survivors to share stories of success and build friendships; and most recently when she retired, she dedicated her now free time to founding, organizing and working in a free dental clinic for those less fortunate. Watching my mother over these years taught me
My mother was born in La Venta in Oaxaca, Mexico. She dropped out of high school during her freshman year to assist her mother and eight siblings on their farm growing apples, pears, and mangos. A year later, without knowing any English, she immigrated to the United States illegally, and settled in Massachusetts. Soon after, she met my father, who left as soon as she got pregnant.