My parents arrived in the United States hoping for a better future not for themselves, but for the baby they carried in their arms. We would often move from relatives ' houses since my parents couldn’t afford renting an apartment themselves. We were fortunate enough to have caring relatives who didn 't mind us living with them since they knew the hardships we were going through. I grew up in a household where only Spanish was spoken given that both my parents didn’t speak any English at all. When I was in kindergarten, my teacher was afraid that I would be behind the rest of my classmates, given that I only spoke Spanish fluently. I was fortunate to receive free tutoring from my kindergarten teacher. We would often read books together until …show more content…
By the end of elementary school my English improved. This was an important key event in my life because I proved to myself that I was just as capable to achieve my goals as anyone else. At this age my parents started to talk to me about all the possibilities that I had. They began telling me that I could go to college if I set my mind to it. It might seem as an exaggeration thinking that just at age 6 my parents started talking to me about college. At that age, I really didn’t truly understand why my parents were telling me that I would go to college when I was older. The word “college” to me sounded foreign like if it was a fantasy. It was later on throughout elementary and middle school that I understood …show more content…
It 's not that they didn’t care about my education, but it was because of the language barrier. Both of them were born and raised in Mexico.They left their families in order to come to the united states with the idea to give the opportunity to their daughters to amazing things. Therefore, they weren’t the parents that signed up to be part of the parents association or went on field trips when parent volunteers were required. They were never able to help me with my homework and never understood that a 3.5 GPA was really good. I never hold this against my parent 's because I know that it isn’t their fault for not knowing these things. Both my parents didn’t have the opportunity to go to college, they didn 't know a thing about the college process. I knew that if I really wanted to go to college, I had to do the best I could to reach out to my teachers and counselors for help. Fortunately throughout high school, I have had AVID teachers that have supported me. I had the pleasure to meet two of the most wonderful teachers, Mrs.Larsen and Mr.
Growing up, the biggest challenge I faced was being a first generation Latina student. My family came from an extremely rural neighborhood in Guanajuato, Mexico called La Sandia. Both my parents achieved up to 5th-grade education in their hometowns. They decided to sacrifice their lives in Mexico to provide a better life for their family and then decided to migrate to the U.S to achieve what many people consider the American dream.
By the late nineteenth century the economic lines in America between the upper and lower class were quickly widening because of the boom of urban industrial expansion. Moreover, during the 1800s, America witnessed an influx of immigrants coming from many parts of the world, they made tenement houses in New York’s lower East Side a common destination. One person witnessing the living conditions of these tenements was journalist Jacob A. Riis. For several years, Riis, with camera in hand, tooked a multitude of photographs that depicted the atrocious working and living conditions in the New York slums. Riss reported that the tenements were severely overcrowded, unsanitary, and a breeding ground for crime and disease. Riss also claimed that the “slum” landlords of these tenements exploited immigrants by charging them more rent than they could afford. As a result, every member of the family had to work—even young children. Subsequently, in 1890, Riis wrote a book entitled: How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York, which included his horrifying photographs and sketches, as means to expose to the middle class the chaotic environment of tenement living. Although Riss’s book exposes a myriad of social and economic problems regarding tenement housing, one of the more prominent ills his photographs and prose reveal is the harsh and distressing reality that immigrant families from the lower class must treat their children as a form of labor in order to survive. With this in mind, by describing and analyzing three of Riis’s photographs, I will demonstrate the validity of my argument which portrays the exploitation of child labor.
At the age of two my parents made the long and devastating journey to bring me and my siblings to the United States from Mexico. Wanting a brighter future for us, my parents fought tooth and nail to give us the world they didn’t grow up having. Ever since stepping foot on the U.S soil, going back seemed impossible. The effects of this life-changing move, couldn’t mask the unforeseen disadvantages. Lacking exposure to Mexico’s colorful culture, little to no bonding time with my family from abroad, and the struggle of trying to blend into an environment that was so different, soon began to interfere with my overall identity. Realizing this, my wonderful parents prepared a transformative trip back to my homeland, and back to the past, facing
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.
Since before I was born, my Hispanic heritage played a huge role in who I am and what I have achieved. My great-grandfather immigrated to this country with the desire to provide his family with a better future than his own. My grandpa grew up in Texas on the boarder of Mexico and traveled to Blue Island, Illinois as migrant crop worker. This desire passed down by my grandparents and my great-grandparents has played a tremendous role in propelling me to where I am today. Each generation sought to make the the lives of their children better than their own. My grandma received the opportunity to live in the country of opportunity from her father, and my grandpa paid for my mom to get an education. My mother pushed me to do my best in school and
One day, my parents talked to my brothers and me about moving to United States. The idea upset me, and I started to think about my life in Mexico. Everything I knew—my friends, family, and school for the past twenty years—was going to change. My father left first to find a decent job, an apartment. It was a great idea because when we arrived to the United States, we didn’t have problems.
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
“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 a second language learner I have never expected myself to be a perfect writer throughout the semester. Even If English was my first language still, I would not be a perfect writer. It is not about first or second language, it is about how well I understand the learning objectives. Then organizing and writing with my own ideas and putting them in my paper. I am going to be honest, I am not good at English subject and English subject is my strongest weakness than the other subjects. In this paper I will discuss and analyze my own writing, reflecting on the ways that my writing has improved throughout the semester.
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
Getting into college has always played a huge role in my life. Neither of my parents received a college education and have worked in unstable, blue collar jobs. My mother has been a waitress for the majority of her life and my father has worked at various factories. Neither of my parents have enjoyed the career path they have taken and continuously stress to me the importance of a college education. From the time I can remember, my mother has always told me to work hard in school so I can get into a good college and have a stable career. Taking my mother’s advice, I strived to receive good grades in high school and continue to attempt to achieve as I further my education.
My parents acknowledged my intelligence and made me open to help any family member that needed it. Now, growing up in a Mexican-American household our family wasn't the smallest of families. I had a total of 17 uncles in total, 14 coming from my dad and 3 coming from my mom; with that came 18 aunts (1 Single) and about 30 cousins. I was also one of the oldest so I received many phone calls at night translating words. I didn’t mind it,
In the beginning of my junior year of high school, one of my close friends told me she was getting confirmed at church next Sunday, completely clueless I only nodded in agreement and said that was great! When we arrived home I asked my mom what confirmation was, and she explained to me that it was the next step, or Sacrament, in a Catholic’s life where you confirm the relationship you have and want with God.
My views on whether people are born good, evil, or neutral have not changed. I still believe that there is continuum that ranges from good to evil with neutral in the center. I think most people fall somewhere in the middle of this continuum though there may be some genetic traits that predispose them one way or the other slightly. For most people what causes us to fall into either the good or evil ranges are specific moments in time and the actions or behaviors we choose. Most people are neither fully good nor fully evil, but in a given situation can be either. However, I believe that good or evil actions can be reinforced for individuals, making the person more likely to act or behave in a similar manner again even if it is against the individual’s core beliefs about himself or herself.
Education becomes more important as new generations come. In order to earn success and be financially stable; the modern generation needs to have a college degree. For example, my parents grew up in a wealthy family in Nepal in the 1970s. Nepal is a third world country, and there are large gaps between the rich and the poor. During that time in Nepal, being born in a wealthy family was a blessing because money in the family was never a problem. However the country lacked many opportunities that the U.S. has and due to the lack of resources, education did not have much importance in the society. For instance, marriage was given more priority than an education. When my parents were teenagers in Nepal, their parents were not strict in studies. My parents were emotionally and mentally prepared for marriage at a young age. They did not dream to become a doctor or an engineer like myself, rather they dreamt of getting married and having kids. Therefore, my parents do not think that education is the most important thing in life. Their mindset creates problems between us because I want them to be involved in my educational life. I want them to understand that getting a college degree is my main priority. I want them to remind me that I should study hard and stay focused to meet the deadlines of assignments. I want them to go on college visits and support my decision of furthering my