Adventure in Pakistan

Facing a reality of my inception into an underprivileged life with small business owners for parents and siblings much older than I am, still struggling to find stability in their lives. I constantly questioned how I would turn out. I understood at a young age the perplexities of my family's struggles, that I lacked all the resources such as financial assistance, lack of insight, and encouragement from my family. Thus, leaving me ill prepared for my future and for the rest of my life to come.

Although I may not have known what it was like to drop out of school at a young age, I did see my mom's miserable life and I knew everything she was going through because of her decision of dropping out of school. Being raised by two young adults was harsh. My parents did not get along well. As I grew up, my brother and I witnessed my mom

My mother has always had major health issues, going in and out of hospitals all the time, but she wouldn't go down without a fight, and luckily, we still have her here with us. Any mother would want the best for her children, so one day my mom dropped everything in Reynosa and decided to move here, to the United States, in order to give us more opportunities and a real chance to succeed. Therefore, my parents have taught me to be the responsible, strong, and hard working person I am today.

Overcoming these obstacles has made me a mature and strong individual. I am proud of what I have accomplished, even with the hardships that I have had to face and my biggest goal is to make my parents proud.

I woke up one morning and went outside to fetch the water from the well in the front yard. It felt like any other regular day in Lagos, Nigeria. Then, my parents called me and my brothers into the living room to discuss something important. My mom broke the news that we would be moving a great distance. She didn’t tell us where we were going or how we would be getting there. The only information that I could really

My parent have alway said to me, never to give up on what I'm trying to accomplish or the goal that I'm trying to reach even though if it seems impossible. That they will alway support me on anything that I want to do, maybe not financially wise because they will help the best they can. My whole life things were never just handed to me, I worked for them and some people tell me that my parents should do more for me that I shouldn't have to work so hard because I'm just 17 years old that I'll have the rest of my life to work, but I think differently because it made me realize life isn't just fun and games, it helped me mature faster then most kids, it also gave me life skills that will help me out in college and life after college.

I flew from Las Vegas to an airport close to the Caribbean rainforest, this was my first time on a plane, I never would have imagined it would be to start my dream job and go to an exotic place. I mean, who could ever get so lucky on their first assignment. I was expecting to get sent to the middle of a hot desert or a humid rain forest infested with flying and biting bugs. I knew it was time to start my adventure when I got off that plane, but it was also time to start my adult life as well. The plane ride was full of me asking myself questions about this trip that I really could not answer. I kept asking myself what would I encounter when I reached the tribe, would they be accepting of me, would things be hostile or friendly, will I be able to adapt well enough to their style of living to be able to complete my assignment. I could not stop thinking of all the ways this trip could play

Days later, i made my decision to fly. It was risky for me but I wanted to get there as fast as possible. I was packing my bags day after day, night after night. When everything was done and over with, I got the rest of my things and said goodbye, I’ll

The pilot said, “Ready for take off!” I was dreading those words and the day in which I had to leave everything behind. How could I leave Colombia? My house? My family? My friends? My whole life?

Every individual comes to a point in their lives during which they reach a tipping point between adolescence and adulthood. I happened to reach that tipping point when my mom told me the story of how our family got to America and to the position we are in now. Before I heard this story, I used to complain about small issues all the time, and take important things for granted, but after hearing the story, I am extremely thankful for how we are living and all that we have. I felt like a changed man due to my family's past and it gave me unbelievable amounts of determination to work hard and to become successful in the future, not only for myself, but also so that I could make sure my family would never be in that situation ever again.

My parents did not have many options. They come from very poor families and started working at very young ages, not having the opportunity to finish their basic education. They only went back to school to pursue their high school equivalency certificates in their forties (when I was

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

Watching my mother live from pay check to pay check when I was young was difficult. It was always hard for my mom to keep up with other parents but, she still somehow managed to get me everything I wanted, and more. Even though I was too young to understand, I could feel the stress, and the struggles my mom faced every day. She was only 20 years old when I was born and, because of that she had no choice but to grow up fast. At such a young age, I saw the effects of being a single parent, and the ways it changed my mom. She not only had to be a young mother but, she had to find a way to replace the void of a father, or a father figure in my life. My mom was strong, independent and courageous. Growing up watching her live her dreams under all the circumstances she faced, made me want to strive for a better life for myself. Seeing how hard is was to live and to have enough

My journey the day I left my home country in search of a better life was not as pleasurable or exciting as I expected. Although it was not a long flight, the accumulation of unexpected vicissitudes during the trip made my dream of traveling an absolute nightmare. Not only my sadness to be leaving my family behind, the uncertainty to fly alone and for the first time, or my inexperience with the procedures at the airport contributed to this calamity, but even my neighbor on the plane added his bit of sand in the affair. All this situation was such traumatic to me that I even considered never daring to fly again.

This left my mom with seven kids to raise by herself. Meaning one on one time was rare, because my mom is not a superhero and could not be in multiple places at one time. Grief left my family and I in a place where we did not know what to do, but we eventually got out of it, and continued on with our life. We always remembered the hard working parents we had, and the hard working mother we still had. I am resilient and got back on my feet and continued to attend school, graduated elementary school, and will soon graduate from high school. Although, I have gone through many difficulties it has made me work harder as an individual and choose my career choice at an early age. Being that I was very into the heart at a young age, and my father passing from a heart disease, I always knew I wanted to study cardiology, and will someday soon become a cardiologist.