First Post, Here I Go !

Clearly, having gone through something as significant as recovery from substance addiction, my idea of what my purpose in life is changed significantly some years ago. While I don’t intend to victimize myself for choices that were my own, its significance and impact on my life cannot be understated.

For genocide survivors, the agony does not end when the killing stops. The annihilation of families, communities, and the entire ways of life make it difficult for survivors to move on with life. My family and many other Cambodians, survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime, shared a history of survival, suffering, and loss. My grandparents and parents are not afraid to share their painful past with my brother and I. Typically, the question of how did I manage to survive comes up. For many Cambodians, 1975 to 1979 was a four-year journey to hell on earth. For the purpose of this assignment, I decided to interview my grandfather, who basically jump-started my family migration to the United States. My family was separated when my grandfather has to

of achieving our purpose in life can be a daunting but awarding task. Christopher McCandless

I must find my calling if I am to truly live my life to the fullest and to live out God’s plan for my life. God is the only one who can help me find my purpose. He has had a plan for my life long before I was even born and that God has a purpose for me that no one else could fulfill. “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future, Jeremiah 29:11” (NIV). This means that no matter what I do as long as I am in accordance with God’s will, everything will turn out for the best in the end. God has promised to give me hope and a future and to bless my life. “For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do, Ephesians 2:10” (NIV). With this knowledge I know that God has created me exactly the way I should be and that he has given me talents and skills enough to do all he asks of me to do.

My mother gave me this book to write in before I left my entire family behind in Chiapas, Mexico. She told me not to be afraid and to write whenever I am feeling upset, anxious, or angry. I haven’t wanted to write this stuff down, but I do not want to say it out loud either. I moved to America last year to stay with my aunt, uncle, and cousins in Brooklyn, New York; I was twelve then and perhaps very naive about what my life would be like in America. I didn’t know any English, but my parents told me that coming to America would help me become smarter. Better even. Unfortunately, America is not what I thought it would be and in recent times, the President is even threatening to make us leave. In Mexico, I felt that I had such an amazing life, where I was able to run around and be free. But here, I am stuck between four walls in a small one bed-room apartment. In the land of opportunity, I feel that I have none.

Finding your purpose in life is easily the most meaningful day other than the day you were born. In a Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah seemed to find his calling at a young age. He found this calling through hardships and breakthroughs, this calling lead him to happiness and success after a traumatizing experience. Your purpose will not be found by sitting around, but it can be found at any time in your life by taking on new opportunities, challenging yourself, and you will recognize when you have found that purpose.

All my life I’ve been trying to find my purpose. I always knew that my purpose in life was to help people, but I didn’t know how I really wanted to accomplish this. Upon graduating high school I was confused

We lived in the ghettos for all of 2 weeks before we were taken to a camp. My family was split up so my mother, my sister, and I were together and my Father was alone. The work camps were terrible they forced us into hard labor my mother and I knew how to sew so we were put into a work group to sew up soldiers uniforms. I ber one day my mother pricked her finger and got blood on one of the uniforms she was beaten by an S.S officer and yelled at continually. If I ever made a mistake or did something wrong my mother would take the beating for me. I objected every time but she would never let anything happen to me. My older sister was not good at sewing but luckily was put near us she helped cook for everyone in the camp. I will always remember the day of the selection my mother was not chosen but I was my mother tried to talk me into believing that getting picked this time was good and that we needed to say goodbye because she was leaving. I knew the truth though. The next day an officer called out the names of the chosen people my name was called. We were told we were going to take a shower. When they stopped us we were in a big room I did not see any shower heads “Gas chamber” I heard someone mumble. I knew my last breath was going to be soon. All at once gaas entered the room coughing came from all around. I said my last goodbye and said a silent Kaddish for myself and the people I was with. I then took my final breath while many

From 1991 over one-sixth of Bhutan’s people flee their country and take a shelter in Nepal, India and other countries around the world. The large populations of Bhutanese refugee are called lhotshamps, an ethnic group, who were forced to leave their country in the early 1990s. Among 105,000 Bhutanese I’m one of them. I was born in a hut made of bamboo, food rations, and dirt roads. We are hostile, unsettled, unsure of who we are and what future held for us. I often think can we ever able to get rid out of the tag called “refugee” would my life ever changed, while ongoing tussled between mind and outside world finally in 2008 United States open a door for us to settled in the United States a “promised land” with full of struggle in 2009 we came here at Grand Forks. As I was growing up in the refugee camp I have seen a countless number of violence, crimes, injuries, and rebuff that words can’t be described. Most importantly death of people from a disease that can be a cure if, we have enough facilities such as, advanced medical training and hospitals. Although during my early childhood I have seen so much of maltreatment and practices, I always thought of having a career in health-related profession because I wanted to invest and improve the lives of individuals so that their children don't have to orphans, forced to work when their parent died, nor they have to beg for food. When I was 10 years old, my friend and I were trying to climb up the mango tree and I step in

My mother had it rough growing up. Forced to be out of the house nearly by dawn and only to return by nightfall, she was ignored and turned away by her mother. All throughout her childhood, and most of her young adult life until she ran away, my mother was

I grew up on the harsh war stricken island of altis where the streets are plagued with armed rebels pulling people from there homes just to end them in the streets, me and my 4 brothers where the only survivors of the rebel invasion of kavala... the day our parents where taken from us to be used as meat shields for the the abusive police force who tried to contain the violence but failed miserably as they where gunned down like defenseless children. me and my 3 brothers where transported to this city without the guidance of our beloved parents we took control of our own future turning to a life of crime and opportunity doing what was necessary to live and stick together, we became outlawed to the police and honest people and remained in hiding

I have lived a good bit of time searching for something meaningful I could not find. But, after contemplating in my mind, I realized it was in and around me all the time. I have worked as a police officer, mental health tech, pastor, even as a CNA (certified nursing assistant), I knew God was showing me that counseling therapy was the way. I prayed, ponder, and wondered how I was going to achieve my goal while I still aging and growing old, for I am determined.

My mom became a victim of her circumstances. She endured the same type of treatment as I did. While she did witness what transpired between my stepfather and me, she became a silent, helpless bystander, because she knew her interference would have made her life more difficult than it already was.

"It was horrible and there is no way I'm going back tomorrow!" I exclaimed to my mother. I felt that I had done every possible thing wrong and was greatly embarrassed by it. I explained to her all of my mixed emotions and recounted everything that had gone on. As I talked, I realized

It was a bone chilling January night; my mom received a call at about 11:15 PM, a call that changed my life forever. My Aunt June was on the other line. She was crying so hard my mother could barely understand her. Through the sobbing my mom finally understood that Brian, my cousin, had been in a horrible accident and she didn’t know how bad it was. My mother jumped out of the bed after she hung up the phone. She screamed up the stairs at my sister and me; it was a nerve shrilling scream. I could hear fear in her voice. My mom was always yelling at us growing up if we forgot to do something. She would even get us out of bed to finish something that wasn’t done completely. This particular