Personal Narrative: My Immigration To The US

Challenge Essay Moving into The United States that has a different language has been the biggest obstacle that I have ever faced, especially with the fact that there was a time where I didn’t understand a single word of that language called English. This was a big obstacle in my life since I was raised in Mexico where the prime language, there is Spanish and that was the only language I knew back then, it was until the day had come where my family and I had to move into the United States due to the violence that has been happening in Mexico. I consider those times the most difficult ones of my whole life because I had to work triple than what I normally did in school in order for me to learn a huge complex language.

I came to Canada a year ago. As a new emigrant I faced many challenges, that has changed my life. When I arrived with my family in Canada, my parents had a small deposit that just supported us, as a family, for a few months. After that, my parents could not find job due to lack of English proficiency. Canada’s government help us with a small amount of money that helped us to live.

Upon meeting me, not many people know that I am a first generation American. However, they are usually interested in the orgin of my last name. I am in fact Ukranian. Both my parents and my older sister were born in Ukraine. They immigrated to America in 1992 because of religious persecution that they were facing.

Growing up in an immigrant household in America, was difficult. I didn’t live, I learned to adapt. I learned to adapt to the fact that I did not look like any of my peers, so I changed. Adapted to the fact that my hair texture would never be like any of my peers, so I changed. Adapted to the fact that I was not as financially well off as my peers, so I changed.

Coming to America with my parents when I was about 11 years old was a new adventure for me. There were a lot of changes that needed to be made and experiencing new things. I would have to make some adjustment and getting used to the American culture and learning the language they speak. My parents had made a big sacrifice coming to America. Living their home country just so my siblings and I could get a better education and better life.

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.

The first eight years of my life, I spent in India where I was born. Growing up I was constantly reminded by my parents that I needed to make them proud by getting a good job and living a good lifestyle. They told me this because they did not want to see me live a hard life like they did. When I was nine years old, I moved from India to the United States of America. The reason why I moved to America was not because I was living a bad life in India, it was so that I could have a better education and more opportunities in life.

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.

On one brusque day, I was running from the cops knowing that I shouldn’t have held up 7/11 while on probation. Now i’m really gonna get locked up now. I don’t care i’ll miss my sophomore year or if the judge gives me grace again. I’ll end up with my dad in West Cali, and i’ll end up working at his retarded library. My mom and he were divorced when I was three.

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.

My immigrant experience started one year ago, during my senior year in high school with my parents we decided that I will go abroad for college. I looked at lots of universities from different countries China, England, United States and Canada. I had a preference for Canada specially Montreal because of the French language we share, on top of that my uncle was living there. However, I did not apply because my father was against that idea, he did not like the weather and convince me to choose United States. I did not have any idea where to go in the United States, I used to spend hours on my laptop looking for universities.

I am not like the typical college student. I migrated to the United States at the age of 12 with my family. Moving to the US at this age was quite challenging; however, it was nothing compared to the challenges I faced growing up in a third world country- India. I remember it vividly; the company that my father worked for shutting down, thus taking away my family’s only source of income.

Coming from a low income family, living in a small town in India, I learned early on about struggling and surviving those struggles. I watched my parents working day and night to provide for electricity, pay for our monthly school fees so my sister and I can have a better education, and for the future they wished upon for their children. To further enhance this vision, my father decided for the family and I to immigrate to the US. Everything was different in the sense that I changed schools, learned a new language, had to make new friends, and learned the different culture. I had to adapt to a whole new world, which was a little difficult at 6 years old

Life in America has forced me to become a leader in my family since I am our most member. I had to put my emotions aside to be strong for my family. I found a house to rent, and applied for government subsidies for my family. After getting my family settled, I next focused my

While every other thirteen year old my age had new shoes; I had to take care of mine since mid summer up until late winter. I remember I was a forthcoming freshman when I underwent an unfortunate immigration odyssey. I was not too young yet not too old to cope with the situation--however, social pressures did creep up on my shoulders. This unfortunate event did not only reflect itself on my footwear--it also shattered the pink colored glasses I saw life through.   The day my stepfather left impulsively to the impoverished ranch in Durango, Mexico that he grew up in, the odyssey formed.