Personal Narrative: Growing Up In An Immigrant To America

I was born and raised in the southernmost past of Texas in a city named Brownsville where diversity is almost non-existent. Growing up in a city with one of the highest poverty rates was surprisingly not as much a struggle as you may think. My father had a decent job with a salary of around 48,000, but that number varies every year. He is the captain of a shrimp boat and has owned his very own boat a few times. For this reason, my father was frequently absent in my life and still is to this day.

I spent the first half of my life on an island 210 square meters in area in the middle of the Pacific and the last half travelling the world and much of the United States. 1st generation immigrants from the Philippines raised me and it was from them that I learned the definition of hard work and true perseverance. Guam, the forgotten territory of the US, is a melting pot of various Asian influences with a distinct Spanish heritage and a culture that has shaped me to my very core. After growing up with so much exposure to different groups of people, I am a firm believer that diversity and respect for other cultures is integral in being an effective and competent healthcare worker. My opportunity to be president of my church’s “Christian family

I cringe at the smell of alcohol floating around the apartment. A cold shiver simmers down my spine as I hear footsteps making their way to my room. 3 loud, hard knocks bang on the door. I open the door waiting for it. Waiting for the rock solid slap that pierces my face everyday leaving bruises and black eyes the size of tennis balls.

As a child of immigrant parents, my formative years in elementary and middle school were shaped by two important factors: the environment in which I lived and my background. My parents worked hard to settle into a new life in a foreign country to provide better opportunities for our family. This meant that we had to be flexible about where we lived due to relocating for jobs, and fluid about our ideas of culture. I recall the daunting nature of moving to a new city, twice, as a child. The prospect of leaving everything that was familiar to me and forming new friendships in an unfamiliar environment was a challenge.

As a teenager moving to a new country with a different culture, different language, and being thousands of miles away from everyone I grew up with was not an easy change, however, that was precisely what I did in January of 2013 when I came to the United States with my father. My whole world changed since, and shaped my way of thinking. From learning English, adjusting to a new culture, experiencing my first snow and finding my way in my new country, my life has been an exciting adventure. My parents brought me to America almost 5 years ago to have a better life, and to get a better education.

I used to have this grudges in my heart when everything go hard that would made me wanted to blame my parent. But I can’t because I was not raise to think that way. When I come to America, I was eleven years old and no one asked me if I wanted to come it just happen in a second. I was in a cold place with extended family that I never met before and that one person who raise me and made me feel secure was still back in the country. I had to lived months without her and next thing you know I adapted and convince myself they are doing this because the wanted the best for me.

I was clearly different because my parents were immigrants from a Caribbean island just trying to live the American dream and provide for their kids in a way they couldn’t if they stayed in their home country.

Ten years ago, I immigrated to the United States and ever since I have been an undocumented immigrant. Due to my legal status in the United States, I felt like I was restricted from certain situations and possessions and would never be able to succeed. I was not living the normal life of a seven-year-old. Instead, I had to learn to cope and adapt to a whole new culture. Even though the drastic change at such a young age was a challenge, it has shaped who I am today.

First generation immigrants sacrifice their adulthood in search of a better life for their family and for future generations to come. My father came from Peru to support his family. He was the first person in his family to come to America. He works in road construction from morning until night so that my family is supported. The desire to repay both of my parents is the belief that guides my life.

A friend of mine, who is African-American, was adopted by a Caucasian couple. The parents did not see their difference in race as a problem. Family and friends worried the child would lose her African-American culture due to her surroundings, so they brought this to the parents’ attention. The parents did not want the child to lose her ethnicity, so they adapted to meet their child’s needs. In fact, race used to be a very large problem, especially in America.

With this situation, I was privileged enough to not experience any drastic language conflicts throughout my lifetime. The only language conflict I have experienced has been with my fair use of Ebonics. I have acquired this way of speaking from my longtime friends who are African American and also other friends of different races who spoke in this dialect. I occasionally will accidentally speak or use a word in this dialect at home that my parents are not familiar with. They would either not understand what I am trying to say, or they would urge me not to speak that way.

Tell us about an experience, in school or out, that taught you something about yourself and/or the world around you. (maximum 200 words) As a second generation immigrant, I have constantly struggled with self-identity. The differences between the values of Canadian and traditional Filipino culture caused conflict within and outside of the household. They also caused confusion within myself.

In America, everyone was supposed to be rich and happy. Leaving your motherland, your family, your life behind was worth it because the grass was greener on the other side of the border. My parents left believing this dream. We left to be the outsiders intruding in this small town of three thousand people. The first challenge of my young life was to learn a completely

The environment I was situated in played an important role in shaping me into who I am today. Another factor that led to the change in me, was realizing the difficulties my parents were going through. The hardships my parents had to face in America for the first five to six-years were hard for me to see. For their first job, they had to clean hotels and worked for eight to sixteen hours every day. The difficulties my parents went through made my brothers and I realize what great a parents we have.

I was born in a traditional Chinese family and my life experience is a bit complicated because I did not live in a fixed city during my growth process. My living environment changes constantly with the change of parents' work. But in this complicated experience, no matter what I come across or what I have encountered, what I have learned has made me now. I gained a lot from my experience and influenced by my parents, my school and my friends.