My American Dream

There is an ancient African adage that states “If you wish to move mountains tomorrow, you must start by lifting stones today”. As a first generation immigrant to the United States and reminiscent of countless other immigrants who have come before me, moving to a new country literally means starting your life all over again from scratch, but symbolically it signifies a rebirth of oneself and a chance to metamorphose into whatever new creature you aspire to be. Some of the challenges I faced included culture shock, language barriers, financial barriers, but the utmost significant one was the education barrier. I quickly realized that if I could bridge the education gap I would be able to overcome all the other barriers. For myself, having an education epitomized my assimilation into my new life by enabling me to chase my dreams and realize my unique American dream.

Ever since I was a child, I had always dreamed of living in the United States or a country better than my own. My family and I come from Cuba, a communist island in Central America located just 90 miles south of Florida. Most of it’s citizens included me, went and still go through several hardships everyday. Because Cuba is a third world country, there are many necessities and hardships its citizens experience on the daily: shortage of aliments and resources, poverty and no freedom to speak on this issues as it is restricted by the government to protest on these matters. Most of my childhood I spent there until my parents and I moved five years ago.

There is an old African adage that states “If you wish to move mountains tomorrow, you must start by lifting stones today”. I am a first generation immigrant to the United States and like many other immigrants who have come before me, moving to a new country literally means starting your life all over again from scratch but symbolically it signifies a rebirth of oneself and a chance to metamorphose into whatever new creature you aspire to be. Some of the challenges I faced included culture shock, language barriers, financial barriers but the most significant one was the education barrier. I quickly realized that if I could bridge the education gap I would be able to overcome all the other barriers. For me having an education epitomized my assimilation into my new life by enabling me to chase my dreams and realize my unique American dream.

From the early stages of American literature the dream of success has always been around, even at the very beginning. It has gone on the journey of merely surviving in small amounts of the literature from the native people to thriving in a growing society and being in everything. The dream to myself is becoming wealthy and being successful in everything I do. Today I believe that the dream has become different for everyone, every person has a different dream, a different way they want their life to go.

According to James Truslow Adams the American Dream is, "a dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement." The American Dream changes with every generation, but it still resembles James' definition. The Puritans pursued a life of religious freedom. The colonists pursued a life free from tyranny. All of these dreams were ideas or concepts to follow in order to become happy. What is the American Dream now? The American Dream has shifted from concepts to objects. Americans don't see the American Dream as a belief anymore, but they think of it as something to obtain. This shift was the result of the changing of American morals and values. Today, the

Throughout life everybody has heard the line “Follow your dreams!” This simple sentence has inspired many. This idea of creating a dream and chasing it has inspired the American Dream. The American Dream is different for everybody. It could be getting married, creating a business, or being a hero. It turns out the American Dream is not for everybody. There is always something standing in the way of the American Dream. Race, social status, and the individual are standing in the way between the person and the American Dream.

I’ve had challenges in ranges from peas to elephants throughout my lifetime, but the biggest challenge I’ve faced Thus far has been navigating and blending cultures. From Burmese kids who’ve spent years in refugee camps to Congolese kids who’ve fled civil wars, to the American homeboys who wear baseball caps backwards, to me a girl from the congo who lives with parents that view the world in strict and narrow terms,my world is made up people from all over the world with one objective in mind- realizing their American Dream, freedom of thought, speech and opportunity to be who they are without fear. Every day is a new adventure with endless possibilities for those who are open and brave. I’m open and I’m brave, but I secretly live in a world

Given these points I have been reflecting on these past subjects i have come to a thought of my own , An american dream my own better richer life especially with my age in the moment.As my descusions in class was mostly having a college career and being able to prvide for others and yoursef and one day starting a family which where the majority of my peers american dream;At first it was mine to but then i started thinking as i was going back and doing my last edits on my paper I realized that that was the basic american dream for the future and of course i wanted that but I Also want more I hope more for myself ,i want to be happy to be able to have the same joy as my grandparents do and the determination as my ansesters did and the same

“The American Dream” of homeownership is still a central ideal of American culture but for Millenials it is a dream worth deferring until their own personal goals are fulfilled. More and more millennials are hesitant to invest in owning a home as they pursue entrepreneurial, educational and professional goals before having children and expanding their living space.

While I anticipate the CLS being incredibly strenuous and demanding, for me, the most challenging portion of the program will likely extend beyond the time spent in country. In my experience, the most difficult part of international travel is not the adventure itself, but rather the transition back to my ordinary life. Adjusting from life in a developing nation poses unique challenges because it becomes difficult to relate to “first world problems.” I feel sense of discontent with my American lifestyle that will cause me to view my own cultural norms from an alternative perspective. Nevertheless, this return to my own reality does not evoke bitterness or a sense of cultural pretention. Rather, it has made me thankful, and caused me to consciously

When I was a kid, I heard a lot of good things about America. Some people say it’s a land of opportunity for the people who take advantage that the county offers. Other said it’s the land of the free. At that time, I don’t understand what that all means but I was eager to come to America and experience what everyone was talking.

September 15, 2015 marked the beginning of a new experience; the beginning of my new story. It was the day I said goodbye to my country, the place that watched me grow and was full of the people that I loved. This was the day I moved to the United States and left my family and friends in search of better opportunities for my life. With a suitcase full of dreams and goals, my family and I arrived to the United States, the land of opportunity. Moving from the country I was born and raised in helped me see the world in a different way and learn about the many cultures and perspectives that exist around the world. It has been one year since my family and I made the move, and I am proud of everything I have done. Every day I learn about this new

I believe that everyone has experienced their creation of their own unique “American dream”. Personally, while growing up, I was told by my parents that my hair had to be a certain way based on how others would judge it and my skin color. My curls were always straightened or hidden. My parents told me that straighter hair would enable me to live the “American dream” of wealth and respect. As a young child, I did not mind it, but as I got older, my feelings changed. I remember asking my mother if I could stop straightening my hair and I was not allowed to. She feared that it would prevent me from getting jobs when I went to interviews. As an adult, I am able to make my own decisions regarding my hair and like Lam, create an “American dream”.

As kids, we dream big for the future hoping we could soar through the sky or even become someone who makes a difference in this world. Every time I stepped outside my apartment and walked through the neighborhood looking at enormous houses. I asked my mom if we could move into one of those single-family homes, she replied “no tenemos suficiente dinero para mudar” which translates to “no we don’t have enough money to move.” I realized that based on my living situation we were almost poor.

Every day as I walk towards all of my classes and feel the thousands of people around me, I remind myself that it wasn’t always like this. Who would have known that a boy from a small pueblo in the tropical island of Puerto Rico would end up going to the largest university in the state of Tennessee. As a young man, never in a million years would I have imagined my life to be the way it is now and it began ten years ago on the day that my family and I landed in the Nashville airport. Excitement filled all of our hearts for this new beginning, and the first memory I have was when we first stepped out of the airport that December afternoon. There was something different about the way the air and the sun felt on my skin. Almost as if the air had