A Narrative Essay On Lizmery

In December of 2005, my family and I came to the United States from the Dominican Republic. I came to the United States because my parents wanted to provide my siblings and I a better future. In my hometown, The U.S is considered the country of opportunities. At that time, I was oblivious and unaware of what was going on. I did not understand why I had to move across the world. When we came to United States, my family and I had to live with my grandfather. He shared his home and provided us with anything we needed. It was difficult adjusting to a new culture and environment.

As a child I faced many difficulties that most children at my age would never face, but in order to understand my story you must first understand my background. I was born in Mexico City, Mexico at the age of four my mom made an incredibly important decision that wouldn’t only affect her, but also me as her son. My mom, Rosalia, made the decision to move out of her country that she had grown up in, and the country that I had begun my life in, in order to move to the United States so that her son could not only be with his mother, but also his father. At that age I didn’t think much of it, but today I sit here and respect the decision that my mom made at that time, and appreciate the amount of courage and strength that it took my mother to make

Throughout the years, I have grown and matured as a student, and a person. I have had several experiences which have shaped me into who I am and also shaped my values. I value family. As a senior in highschool, I had a lot of things on my shoulders. I needed to pick a college, a major, pretty much figure out my entire life in a matter of nine months. Many students had their family to fall back on when they needed support, I however, did not. My parents both had jobs that would take them away during the week. I would be home alone, taking care of the dogs, the house and myself while they were gone. It was very hard at first and I struggled. I was use to coming home and talking about whatever happened that day at school and practice, or something

Our first year in the United States was one of the most difficult and challenging years of my entire life. I remember watching my mother cry every single day in the closet of that small one-bedroom apartment. Cried, because she missed home. Cried, because everywhere we went, she would feel the intense racist stares and mugs of people towards the new "immigrant family" in the neighborhood. Cried, because our way of life in Mexico was worthless here. My father struggled to find a job as his electrician certificate in Mexico was nothing more than a piece of

In order to complete my heart's desire I've made sure to do above and beyond. My parents have also pushed and encouraged me to become the best me. I went to some of the best schools and took the best classes in Miami Dade County because my loving parents and I made sure that my grades remained on top. Even though I strived for the best, still I struggled with family issues. In middle school, I had a difficult time because my family was about to lose our home to foreclosure. When you lose someone or something so precious in your life, it can be a draining and learning experience. On the outside to everyone else they thought I looked blissfully happy, and like nothing was going on in my life. I was wearing a perfectly painted mask as my disguise. Little did they know that in reality I was constantly worried and I felt powerless. I had my father who worked as a construction worker and he tried to help out as much as he could, but he had his other kids and bills to pay. My hardworking mother was a Registered Nurse who graduated from the University of Miami for crying out loud and she did whatever she had to do to try and get a job but it was like everywhere she turned there was a roadblock. Finally, she got a

When my parents divorced, I stepped up and I took care of my siblings when my mother could not. In doing so, all the challenges I faced from then on, I faced them all alone. Therefore, my mother would not have to worry about me and focus on herself and my sisters. Living in a house of four my not seem so difficult but when you are the glue that holds the family together, there is no room for error. When my oldest sister dropped out of high school, all the pressure went on me to do better in school, graduate, and go to college. Teachers, security guards, my parents told me I have-to graduate and go to college to get a better life than them. It was like a record stuck on repeat, everywhere I go I was faced with the same lecture. With being told what to do and how to live my life I fell into depression the first semester of my senior year. This was one of my biggest challenges I had to face, I was left alone to figure out a puzzle with missing pieces. Listening to everyone tell me I have-to this and that with my life makes me sick to my stomach. What if I am not interested in going to college? What if I just drop everything and leave? What if can define today from tomorrow. Slowly realizing that only I can pick myself up and carry myself to where I want to be in life, helped me realize I can work to the best of my ability and set goals for myself. one of my goals is to go to Loyola University and to Major in Forensic

I was born and raised in Jerez de Garcia Salinas, Zacatecas Mexico in 1996. I acknowledged the fact that both my parents had been able to attend college and worked as professionals because not many of my childhood friends were able to say the same about their parents. My mother had studied biology to become the well-known Bio-pharmaceutical chemist she still is, and my father had studied medicine for a long period of time to become a medical doctor. I felt truly blessed for both my parents, and I felt like my family had come a long way considering how my maternal grandmother was nearly seventy years old and had never learned how to read, write, or even count numbers to ten. However, I learned that life tends to happen and it does so in curious ways. My father currently works at a print-screen factory thanks my uncle, one of his nine siblings. My father has been in the US for as long as my younger brother, Erik, has lived for which is now 12 years. Our parents are still married, yet no longer together.

The two were married one year later in September of 1958. Also in 1958, my grandma became a legal citizen of the United States. It was one of the happiest moments of her life, but it was soon overshadowed by the birth of her first son, John. After her second son, Andrew was born, my grandparents decided to leave the hustle and bustle of San Francisco for the growing city of San Jose. There both my grandparents found stable jobs and welcomed the birth of their last child, my mom. Finally, in San Jose, my grandma had what she always wanted, a stable job with good money, a loving family, and good future to look forward

Someone’s life background can often be destructive, or it can empower a person to find a way out and end up helping others who have walked an analogous pathway. I came from an eminently dysfunctional family where at the age of four I was left at home alone, overnight. Scared and alone, I awoke from a bad dream, and went outside to find my parents nowhere to be seen. Having no idea where my parents were, the next door neighbor called the police. For which, I was taken by the police only to be returned to my neglectful parents the next day. At age ten my parents became verbally, mentally, and emotionally abusive, for which the school personelle and counselors all

The love for my family is still there even through all the judgmental things, they only wanted the best for me. Twenty-three more than independent is what family can call memory now. In my opinion, having children at a young age motivates you more in life than you can think of. The first few months of moving always thinking if a tire was to blow out on this highway who could I call? The negativity in my head almost got to me. Seven months later I’m still here, still loving the city, but no longer crying. God got me and hasn’t brought me this far to fail. Back in school and so happy with myself, all in all what I’m saying is never doubt what you can do. Going through tough times and can make you or break you. Surprising my entire and went all the way out the box to do what everyone said I

Growing up, I have faced many difficult challenges. When I was just five years old, I was taken away from my mother due to her addiction to drugs. My oldest sister, the one that took care of me, was sent to live with her dad hundreds of miles away. That was very hard for me and my other sister, because she was our mother figure. My other older sister and I were sent to live with our father, and throughout the years he had four other daughters with my stepmother. I was always treated differently than my younger sisters, in a way that made me feel like I was excluded out from them.

Asking for an outfit that I could wear for my 13th birthday, I saw my parents with a dreadful look, as if their backs were hard to uphold, as if their brown eyes were ripping apart with sadness and discontent, as if they were disappointed in themselves, not being able to provide me with a gift that I deserved. Growing up in a household with parents that only had high school diplomas, had low paying jobs, and five children running around the house, I encountered countless obstacles that threatened to set me back in life. Or, as Oprah Winfrey puts it, “The struggle of my life created empathy- I could relate to pain, being abandoned, having people not love me.” Each obstacle and failure that I encountered led me to be the person I am today, the

I left the Dominican Republic at age 5. My mother sent me along with my father to the U.S. for a better being. There were more opportunities and a better future for my brother and me here. At the time, I didn’t have remembrance. Ever since then my life has been full of obstacles. Having to leave my mother behind at that age seemed customary to me until I started having recognition. As I grew older, everything became very remote and missed my mother day-to-day.

When I was younger, I would often say “I will not be like that when I grow up!” or “When I’m a mom, I will not do that to my kids!” Much of my childhood was spent competing with others for my parent’s attention. They were divorced when I was three years old and constantly in relationships with others, which always took priority over time with me. My sister got pregnant at the age of 15 because she wanted to and that was something that I wanted either. She also battled an addiction to drugs throughout her life that I knew was not for me. With all the bad examples growing up, there were also some good things that I knew I wanted to be a part of me as an adult.

No one has a perfect story, I’m sure we can all agree. As a young adult, when I first began my college career, I faltered spectacularly. Immaturity and naivety paved the way for an abusive relationship that predictably resulted in an emotionally controlling engagement. I was not the person I am today, so I allowed my life to be taken over in the name of “love.” When I found the strength to demand my autonomy, my once-fiancé took his life. It was a very difficult time and I did not handle it in a manner that I can look back on with pride. I take full responsibility for the blemishes in my early