My Dream Of My Family

My family is from Mexico, a place where there is no prospect, and they have given up their most important wishes for mine. Being a Hispanic doesn’t make me feel inferior, but it makes me diligent. I have observed the way my parents worked throughout their years. The way they managed to survive and pleasure us, my brother and I, with our wants or needs. It is important to love who I am, my heritage and background, because it is not about how much money I have in my wallet but it is about the lesson or motivation I cultivated. The most amazing part about my heritage is knowing how strongly and intensely we believe in ourselves. When we set a belief, it is rare for someone to destroy the significance of it so easily. We have strong morals and that is what makes my background/heritage so important to me. We never give up.

As my adolescence years approach many things began to change, or at least I thought they were changing. In my house I began to be have multiple responsibility. My mother soon started expecting me to help her clean the house and learn how to cook, while my brother was free to do as he pleased. This was when my rebellion towards my culture gender norms and roles began. As I grew up, I was told that I had to always be aware of my surroundings. That a girl/women does not walk late at night by herself because that could be dangerous. I was taught that I couldn’t be too friendly with the opposite sex because that could bring some unwanted attention. I had to cover myself and never expose too much because that could also cause the opposite sex too

I had all these thoughts in my head, so much anxiety, but I managed to make it out of the plane without fainting. As I walked out, I felt this large steam of hot air blowing at me. I felt like I just entered the Sahara dessert. The heat was agonizing but all of that faded away once I saw my uncle standing in the airport waving, with this mesmerizing smile on his face. All the memories I had with this person instantly came to life. I didn’t know what to say, as I was still on ‘travel mode’. I smiled and hugged him and he began telling me how much I’ve changed. The talk went on for that whole day, as we went on a tour to both my paternal and maternal grandparents. Everyone was there and everyone had something to say. “Wow you’ve gained a lot of weight itra,” “Oh my God, you’ve grown so much,” and all I would do is smile and nod. Everyone spoke Arabic, except me. I had a major amount of trouble talking like them, but I did however, understand

As a student a part of the facility Westminster Public School, I enjoyed participating in educational activities and acquiring academic awards that corresponded with my marks. Therefore, when I noticed my ninety-two percent average decreased to an eighty percent, I was devastated. Liana informed me, that I had high anxiety, low self-esteem (low confidence), and depression. As Liana continued, my father's horrendous actions on me, and discourteous sayings to me about my intelligence reiterated within my mind: “You will never succeed, or be accepted into wonderful universities like your family. Your dream of becoming a neurosurgeon or neurologist cannot be fulfilled by an inadequate fool. I came second place in the Islamic national exam that accepts students into governmental universities, and I have you as my daughter?”. My father was physically, and psychologically insulting. He would subject my behavior resulting in anxiety, chronic depression, post-traumatic stress and would aggressively slap me if I did not receive the mark I intended on bringing, unlike my mother. Thus, I felt more comfortable speaking to my mother's

It took time and much self-examination to eventually accept that there was nothing wrong with me. I was not inferior to or less of a man than any other male in the world- merely a victim to a long line of harmful misunderstandings of the male gender. Society has set a precedent of aggression, barbarity, and dominance for men to follow to be perceived as “normal”, effecting youth negatively and damaging one’s self-image. Men are influenced strongly everyday by the world around them to put aside traditionally feminine tendencies and behave like a man- beginning, first and foremost, in the home. The household serves as a boy’s initial introduction to the exclusive sector that is manhood. It is there that they are brought up and reared to be the strapping, virile man they are destined to become. It is rare to find a boy who is not at least familiar with the phrase “Wipe some dirt on it,” teaching them to “[employ] the automatic “I’m fine” response to almost any emotional difficulty” (Glazer 7) and fooling family members into thinking they are valiantly tough warriors, dismissing any possibility of help or protection. It is understood that boys run around and play in mud and scrape their knees while girls sit inside and play with dolls- any sign of the opposite being quickly ended by parents. Boys are also turned away from calling their mother and father “mommy” and “daddy” far sooner than

This famous quote by Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire has impacted my life in a positive way. Growing up and discovering my dreams continues to be an exciting time in my life, and being passionate enough about those dreams to share them with those around me. The downside to sharing my dreams, one being the dream to become a professional eSport player, came with a lot of negative comments. Being told by those who I thought were my friends, "You're not going to make it", "That's a stupid dream", really hurt me. However, just like Dumbledore tells Harry, it's about how we grow to become what we desire. Over my 17 years of living, various literature pieces have shaped my way of thinking and have prepared me for moving into the ‘real world' post Year 12.

One summer afternoon after indulging on General Tso’s Tofu and spring rolls I cracked open the crisp fortune cookie and received a vague prophecy reading “old dreams never die; they just get filed away”. My friend next to me interpreted my fortune to say that I will give up on my dreams. My other friend then believed it said that growing up meant acquiring new aspirations. Everyone around the table seemed to have their own perception of what it meant, although they all perceived it to be a rather pessimistic and unfortunate fortune. I disagreed. I understood the aphorism to mean that although we mature, we hold on to our ambitions as they set the foundations for who we are.

someone other than yourself putting it in your head what your set out to be in life. High-school

The wide field, brimmed primarily with yellow, sprouting, lush, wild flowers and tall green grass, swayed gently in the crisp breeze. Deep within an abundance of towering pine trees, where the bluebirds chirped and the frogs croaked, babbled a crooked creek. The air was filled with the smell of moist bark and sweet blossoms, the sound of bees buzzing, and the feeling of serenity. I had lived in my very own oasis where all of my childhood dreams were born. I dreamed of all my “firsts”, my first kiss, my first love, my first high school dance, my first varsity soccer game in the stadium under the lights, my first day as a college student in a foreign city, my first paycheck as an employee, and countless more. My siblings and I staged and acted out various versions of the perfect little family with the house located in the countryside surrounded by the white picket fence to complete the stereotypical American Dream. My imagination was sparked by this magical sanctuary where I led my siblings in the pursuit of our hopes and dreams for a future that now in retrospect seemed untouchable.

I always had a less interesting dream than others; I never really wanted to be anything more than “successful.” Success meant owning a home, being rich, and having a family to enjoy it with--without working. Even though I've had certain career dreams, they were never my passion and I would've been just fine “winning the lottery or marrying a millionaire instead.” I guess it all just comes from the way I was brought up. Growing up on twenty-third in the Mission District already meant I wouldn't get far, with the gang activity and poverty I was surrounded by. My parents used what little money they had to send me to a private school which I am grateful for. In addition, I was from a very traditional Latino household, meaning I'd be held back

Santiago, my boyfriend, passed away during my first semester at college. I was away at school and couldn’t make it on time to see him in the hospital one last time. My plane landed probably just as he was taking his last breath on the operating table. At that moment, I had felt as if half of me had died along with him. Life very quickly forced me to encounter difficult tasks in my life; a death of a loved one is one that not many learn to overcome. It is a reality not many truly know how to manage or if it is even manageable. Four years ago, at that very moment, I had lost hope on dreaming. I didn’t want to dream anymore because I felt like it had led to nothing the first time. I had dreamt of one day spending the rest of my life with Santi, but that dream had died along with him. At that moment I couldn’t see any dream ever coming true anymore. But just as life can throw us some curveballs, it can also teach us how to aim for them and send them flying away very high.

In the beginning there was a happy family with two sweet kids. This family is my family.

I woke up this morning to the usual sounds of the blue birds chirping. The ray of the warm sun shining through the window onto my face. And the same old view of the cloudy,rainy, gray New York City. I walked out of my bedroom and went to say my morning goodbyes to my husband Michael downstairs by the door before he leaves for work. “Kimberly don’t forget to wake up Poppy ’’he said. “I promise I will. Love you’’ I said. He shuts the door furiously as he leaves. We have a 4 year-old daughter named Poppy(like the flower). I gave birth to her just after my mother died and my mother's favorite flower was a poppy. Since Poppy has never met her grandma we decided that her nickname would be Poppy so she will always have a piece of her grandma in her. She is very hyper and probably one of the most kind hearted souls you’ll ever meet. For being a stay at home mom, I do take joy in cleaning the apartment and taking care of Poppy but something has always been missing from my life considering the fact that I have no job at the moment. I've always wanted to pursue my dreams of being an author and publishing books. My husband thinks its a pathetic dream. He has never really been fond of what other people think except for what he thinks. Michael and I fight all of the time about financial issues and taxes and how we don’t have enough money to pay for our apartment. All of the money depends on Michael's job which he tells me is a pain in the

Hours before the flight, I felt ecstatic. I was ready to spend my hard earned paychecks on new clothing and shoes. We arrived at five in the morning the following day and it took almost an hour to arrive at my relative’s house. My sister and I were surprised by the housing conditions. It reminded me of favelas in Brazil. Houses were cramped, the power kept on turning off and on, trash was everywhere, and roofs were leaking. We were terrified, wondering if this place was safe, but my parents did not care. They were too busy laughing and telling stories with one another. Early afternoon, I was excited to take a nap on a Tempur Pedic quality bed, but it was not what I expected. It felt as if I was sleeping on cardboard while sandpaper is rubbing

As soon as my mom, dad, and brother’s suitcases rolled into the airport I knew I was in for the adventure of a lifetime. It was 4:00 am and even though I was exhausted excitement flowed through my body like a river. As we boarded the plane and found our seats I heard the captain's microphone come on "Ladies and gentlemen this is your captain speaking we like to welcome you onboard Delta airline flight to Dallas Fort Worth. The flight duration is around two hours and we are expecting a fairly smooth flight today. Once again we thank you for choosing to fly with us and we hope you enjoy your flight" My eyes shut as soon as the wheels left the ground.