Away From Home : A New Home Away From Home

At the age of 14, I moved from Atlanta to Las Vegas, then to Los Angeles. Atlanta was the place I grew up in, the place where I developed my personal identity, the place where I established lasting relationships, and the place I never wanted to leave. During my move, I lost every aspect that defined who I was as I my new peers shunned and isolated me due to by my “distinct lifestyle and characteristics In comparison to my brothers, I was never given the opportunity to receive the “typical” high school experience that is often seen on movies, as I was often alienated in my new setting. I attended two different high schools in two different states, allowing me never to fully establish long-lasting relationships that my mother and my brothers attained during their high school

On October 5, 2010, my mom made the permanent decision to move to Iowa from Indiana. I was very nervous. I knew I had to switch schools, I had spent three years at that school getting to know everyone and getting used to the school, but now it was time to leave not only the school but also the state. While on the road, I couldn’t concentrate. We’ve been to Iowa numerous times so I knew the drive quite well. I ended up going to sleep by worrying myself so much.

We arrived on a day where the sky was pale, and the people’s faces seemed very weary. I convinced myself that everything will be fine by repeating some positive thoughts in my head. The conflict in Iraq was pretty aroused most of the time, and even though my parents and I were Iraqis, people there still looked at us as foreigners, because we did not live in Iraq long enough. However, it was very hard to set an appointment for the passport process, so we waited about six days for it. It was not a pleasant waiting because there was no electricity, for we had to deal with the 120 Fahrenheit weather. My parents knew how difficult it was for me to stay there, even for a short period of time, but no solution they had. I have big dreams to achieve, I also have a big love for my family, and I was not ready to suffer if something would happen to them because of an explosion or a

Who would have known traveling could be such a hassle? Especially when moving from Wilson, North Carolina to boring Goldsboro. Especially when having strict parents, an annoying sister, a spoiled brother and an innocent me stuffed in a van, just to move only 26.4 miles. Moving cannot be that dreadful, I tried considering to myself. Making new friends and memories are not the worst thing in the world. There was only one slight problem …school. It was fall of third grade and everything was different. From math to English to science, concepts were thrown at me that I was so sure that I had never seen at my previous school. So at first sight of trouble, I turned to my parents, but only to end up with a frustrated me and a very agitated mother.

Being the oldest of three children to a single mother brought forth plenty of hurdles. Growing up I yearned for a father figure, sadly that void remained for years. The lack of a father figure hindered my academic progress and personal life. The sense of abandonment cast me on an island all by myself, contributing to a lot of my troubles at home and school. I honestly didn’t believe anyone would ever be able to relate to me, but I was soon proven

My Father is an Air Traffic Controller in the military and he had been given word that he had been given orders to move from Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, Alaska to Eglin AFB in Niceville, Florida in two months. I remember when my parents told me that we were moving. I was sitting in the living room with my sister when my Dad and Mom came and joined us to break the news. Once they sat down I could tell something was wrong, I could feel my heart racing and the temperature rising. Once they said the words, “we are moving to Florida” I could feel my heart sink because that meant going to a new school, new friends and no more spending time with my family. Alaska was my home and I never thought we would leave. I was scared for what the future held, but I had no idea that it would make such an impact on my life and shape me into the person I am today.

As a child, I was quiet and withdrawn. I taught myself to read when I was three, and spent most of my time reading instead of playing with other children. I understood very early that I was different from others at school. I didn’t have to pay for lunch, something I found (and to be honest, still find) completely mortifying. My father was almost never home, always trucking all over the country in an effort to keep our family afloat. When other kids talked about their dads in school, I often found myself feeling jealous. I, too, wanted a dad who could teach me how to ride a bike or throw a ball. I also understood that it was impossible for me to have that, because my father worked around the clock to keep my family from going hungry. I realized that in order to achieve the things that I wanted to, i would have to take the initiative and do it myself. I borrowed my sister’s bike (although it was much too tall for me to use comfortably), and I practiced riding it until i knew i was better at it than any other 7 year

Due to my parents’ divorce, an unfortunate rift has been created in regards to my family life. However, bad things can always become good, and I have been able to turn this into a good thing. I have learned to care for myself, and at a young age, this is becoming rarer and rarer these days. I am able to cook, clean, do laundry, shop, and provide for myself. Many days have been spent by myself with a home to take care of, giving me many responsibilities that the average teenager would not need to worry about. This has prepared me for college life as well as beyond in the eventual real world I will find myself in. This fierce independence has shaped everything, from my personality to my daily life and

Moving to the US with my dad, I had to learn to take care of myself and be independent. I had to tell myself that my mom is a thousand miles away and i’m on my own now. I used to cry every night because I was feeling homesick and i miss my mom and siblings so much. I miss the moments in the place I grew up in. I miss all the moments that I had with my siblings, playing and just being kids. I miss the moments where my mom would teach me how to cook and how to do other chores at home. I miss the moments where my mom was just steps away ready to comfort me. Because of this huge transition in my life, I became the person who I am today. I learned how to be independent and be stronger. I learned how to be a bigger person. My first week in the US was quite difficult. I wake up every morning only to realize that i’m in a different place. I cook breakfast for myself everyday, and I felt really lonely because I was just by myself in the kitchen. I feel so alone. Everything in the US was very fast paced and you have to move quickly or you’ll get left behind and you wouldn’t have any progress. On my first day at school, i felt so left out. Everybody were talking to their friends and there I was standing in the corner, not sure what to do. I tried to blend in but it was hard for me because i was scared that they might judge me. However, after a couple more weeks, I finally adjusted to my new lifestyle and met

Leaving all the hard work behind and child hood memories behind was the only thing I could think of. I feared the change and I didn’t want it to happen. Everyone that I cared about was soon not going to be a part of my life anymore. For the first time in the 10 years I lived there I was doing things with people. I wasn’t the social type but I was starting to venture out and do things. All that was about to end and I pushed back on the

From an early age, I felt as if my parents were never there for me, and I had to raise myself. I used to have difficulty in interpreting whether my unconventional upbringing should be appreciated or dreaded, but ultimately it has benefitted me in ways I have just recently realized. Without the intensified emphasis on my self-reliant upbringing, I would not be the sophisticated and independent young adult I am today.

My parents took custody of my sister’s children, which then began the chaotic day-to-day home life that usually left me in tears by bedtime. I was in middle school at the time, as a middle school aged girl I felt a whirlwind of emotions. I wanted to do things that other kids my age were doing but that wasn’t always possible. With very mentally handicap children in our home it wasn’t easy to just invite a friend over to come spend the night, not only would my mom say no but also I was far too embarrassed. I wanted to go out and eat in a restaurant like I heard my friends talking about, but no, going out to eat with my sister’s children would be very difficult because they couldn’t sit still or refrain from making loud noises in public places. I wanted my mom to take my friend and I to the movies rather than always going with a friend and their mom, but my mom was always tied down to caring for my sister’s

Growing up without a mother, a father, or even siblings was very difficult for me. I spent most of my life discovering who I really was. I didn’t have parents who paved the way for me or to show me which direction to take. I had to figure it all out on my own. I clearly remember my first day of 9th grade where I experienced different kinds of people. As I sat there with my friends, I looked around the lunchroom and saw cliques. There were the jocks, the band and choir group, the honor students, the ones who like read during lunch, and cheerleaders, the dance team, and a few scattered here and there just minding their own business while eating their lunch alone. I

The first ten days of college are some other experience. When I arrived on campus for the Eagle Incentive Program it was in the high nighties with some humidity. Moving in wasn’t that bad, it was just extremely hot. I was breaking a sweat walking up and down the Southern Pines stairs. The next day was time to say goodbye to my family. After giving my mom a big warm hug and a kiss goodbye, seeing them leave was a weird feeling. As I walked up the stairs to head back in my room the feeling really crossed my mind that I wasn’t going to see her again for another five weeks. It was an emotional few seconds saying goodbye, but I knew my mom was proud of my accomplishments that I achieved. Motived to work hard and make her even more of a proud mother; my sad emotions soon turned into happy thoughts.

In my preschool years, I was quiet as a mouse. I was a very shy individual who was eager to learn and make new friends. Before preschool, my family moved around a lot until I was 1 years old. My family moved from the country to an urban neighborhood in Camden, South Carolina; it is quiet not what my family is used to. I still resided in this neighborhood and it has changed tremendously. In the urban neighborhood, I lived with my mother, my two older sisters, and my father but my father was always traveling with his job. Most of the time, my father would send for my sisters, my mother, and me because he missed us so much. Life in the house was a little crowd until my sisters and I become older.