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Becoming An Immigrant

Decent Essays

Leng had a difficult time while growing up. He struggled as a slave to his aunt and uncle as an orphan. The feeling of being unloved and unwanted made his life unbearable. But that never stopped him from being who he is today. He spent his whole childhood growing up in a refugee camp with his aunt and uncles. It wasn’t long until he was able to immigrant to the United States with his sister Houa, and her husband. He had hoped for a better life here, but only found it to be more difficult. It was no doubt that I had became an orphan the moment I left my parents back in Sekong, Laos. At that time, I was only 13 years old. My village had started to become isolated when everyone was leaving. They left because of the war that was going on in Sekong. …show more content…

I would wake up at 3 in the morning to make food for my aunt, uncle, and cousins. Every morning after making food, I would then attend my class. Luckily for me, there was school. It was a good way to pass time during the day. After school, which would be around 4 p.m., I would carry gallons of water in wheelbarrow and gather some water for my family. There was no one to help me. Everything I did, was on my own. It was a struggle for me while growing up. I couldn’t ask for anything because it would be disrespectful, so I never bothered to ask them for something. They weren’t my parents. I was lucky enough for them to let me live with them. As an hmong orphan, no one really wants to love you, and they feel as if you are a burden. The only thing I had to offer to them was me, to be a slave. I worked hard to keep them satisfied. And it was fairly difficult. I’ve always wondered what my life would have been if I hadn’t left my parents and siblings back in …show more content…

I was an orphan. I had nothing to offer them. I didn’t have a good paying job, I lived with my aunt and uncle, and I didn’t have a family. My in-laws informed me that they did not care about anything other than their daughter's happiness. Because of that, I was able to find a light in my life. My wife gave me a family. A family that I had never had before. Hmong parents had also despised orphans. Whenever I talked to girls, I would always lie about who I was. I would never tell their parents that I was an orphan. If I had, they would’ve never allowed me to talk to their daughters. My wife’s parent’s were different. They assured me before to be honest about who I was because they didn’t care about my background. And because of that, I was able to be myself. Tell them my life story. Tell them who my parents were, where they are and how I became an orphan. It was the first time in my life where I didn’t have to hide who I was. My wife gave me everything I could possibly ask for. My life was going no where. I saw it as a failure with many mistakes. But with her in it, I was able to build myself up. I was able to get to where I am

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