Expatriation Reflection Paper

Having read the story “Me Talk Pretty One Day “, by David Sedaris, reminisced me about my past memories and had the feeling of going back into my past life. Meeting with a people from totally a new world, speaking in a language which you have never heard, and adjusting to a new lifetime had a great impression on me. Life is an interesting appearance with its full of unexpected changes and an interesting adventure. From my point of view, when a person moves abroad, he or she becomes more appreciative of their time in their native country; at least in my experience.

Stepping out of my first plane ride, I experience an epiphany of new culture, which seems to me as a whole new world. Buzzing around my ears are conversations in an unfamiliar language that intrigues me. It then struck me that after twenty hours of a seemingly perpetual plane ride that I finally arrived in The United States of America, a country full of new opportunities. It was this moment that I realized how diverse and big this world is. This is the story of my new life in America.

The interviewee for my project, Andres Alejo, is currently a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University. He was so excited to express his opinions for this interview, as he grew up traveling back and forth between two cultures. Due to his father’s job, he traveled between the United States and the Dominican Republic until he was in fifth grade, when his family returned to the Dominican Republic to stay. During his time in the United States, his time was divided between Mt. Vernon, New York and Miami. Andres eventually returned to the United States to study Piano Performance at Boston Conservatory. His experience with learning English was not as difficult for him, since he started learning during his formative years. He mentioned that his

Last May, I traveled with Alternative Breaks to New York for community service. During this service, I worked with Meals on Wheels who dedicate their time to provide food for the elderly of Manhattan. As I delivered the food to the seniors, I got a sense of fulfillment because I made them smile by providing them with food. Thus, I chose MDC’s Single Stop because I wanted to make a difference in my home campus by providing and assuring nourishment to those that do not have it just like I did in New York. As my first two years of college comes to an end, I wanted to leave a mark of my own here at home at Miami Dade College North Campus. During the month of September, I decided to partner up with a few of my peers to serve at MDC’s Single Stop.

Bishop Jakes is proud of his program and the graduates. "It touched me in a deep way that we kept the program alive, sometimes literally be a thread and that it was worth it. That we were able to touch lives in a powerful way," he

Senior Sela Davis decided to go on this trip because she knew this would have a bigger impact on her than going on another vacation. This experience was more than she expected it to be,

I have appreciated much of the process in which I have journeyed over the last few years. Many of my classes have not only taught me things, but have given me insight into myself, my children, friends and family. I have learned to apply some of the lessons learned with how I would react to issues, interpret scenarios and motivate myself.

As finals were winding down in may 2015, i found myself surrounded by my fellow peers and upperclassmen i've never met in my school's community service

While I have been blessed with many opportunities that helped me grow by pushing me to new limits, my volunteer work at South McKeel Academy through National Honor Society is my most memorable. The way I was brought upon this experience was not with the average vote. One morning I showed up to the 7 A.M. meeting ready to hear about how all

I had already moved once to a different country where, from my point of view at eleven years old, the culture and the people were strange. The change from Cuba to Mexico had been difficult and adapting to their traditions and their dialect had been challenging, but I was able to adjust to this new place. It wasn’t bad, moving from my birth country to Mexico had taught me to observe the world in a different perspective and while struggling to adapt I learned a lot about myself.

Throughout the semester, I have been able to volunteer for the American Red Cross Disaster Services Team. This has been one of the most beneficial volunteer opportunities that I have ever accomplished. As an American Red Cross of Georgia Major Gift Officer, this volunteer experience allowed me to gain knowledge in a department that serves as the backbone of the American Red Cross.

Every Saturday morning while the majority of the student body is still fast asleep, I am pouring coffee and preparing for work. I am a Student Ambassador, a job which entails guiding prospective students around campus, encouraging them to become a part of the Mount Union family. Not long ago I was in their footsteps; a prospective student searching for the school that would become my home away from home. My dad, an alumni of Mount Union, enthusiastically retold the memories of his experiences at the university. Memories, which he claimed, “shaped him into the man he is today.” Little did I know that I too would follow in my father's footsteps and grow to find a forever home within the Mount Union community.

Imagine moving to a foreign out of the blue, and leaving everything you’ve ever known. I will show you my experience and how it contributed to my everyday life. I can’t thank God enough for giving my family the opportunity to live in a foreign country, but there were struggles along the way.

I find this helps to enrich my understanding and appreciation of their local practices and traditions. Last summer I travelled to Brazil to present at an international conference. I experienced frustration in many situations due to my inability to communicate in Portuguese. Thankfully, one of my classmates acted as a cultural broker and interpreter to help enhance our experience of Brazil’s vibrant and enthusiastic culture.

My life changed a lot the day I set foot on the, land of honey, the United States of America, last March of 2015. To be able to experience the sudden “switch” in my life from my homeland, the Philippines to America, is quite a lot to take from the beginning. I mean what’s not hard to do when you’re doing it for the first time, right? There are a lot of points of comparison between living in the Philippines and America.