Narrative Essay : The American Dream

My parents Bunroen Kheang at age 13 and Bunnang Huy at age 11 came over to America in 1981. They were living in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, they were poor have little money. Then in 1975-1979 a revolution type war that broke out in Phnom Penh millions of people died. There was a Khmer Rouge Leader named Pol Pot who wanted to form a communist peasant farming society over working the people to death. During that time my mom flew out in a plane on August 1981 to America for 21-14 hours to escape the fighting. My dad also flew in a plane on September 1981 to America for 21-14 hours too. They had to pay back the government for the plane ride they took since they paid it for them. They both thought it would be a safer better opportunity for them to

The start of a new life is of no rarity amongst human beings of third world countries. In the case of my parents, fleeing their homeland of Vietnam was a necessity in order to start a new life away from a communist ruled country. A life that would be filled with freedom and opportunities to better their future. There is a belief amongst Vietnamese citizens that America is the haven to live in. A place full of opportunity, many dreams have turned into realities. A place where freedom is bestowed across all social classes. A place where immigrants journey towards to fulfill their American Dream. However, chasing the American Dream was never for my parents, it was for their two children.

I was born in Medellin, Colombia in 1984, in a loving and unconventional family. After my mother, Gloria, was discharged from the hospital, we went to live with my grandparents, Alicia and Arturo, and my uncles, Luis Carlos, the eternal bachelor of the family, and Gustavo, the divorced one. Shortly after my birth, my mother sealed my fate, when she decided to leave for the United States, as had most of the family. In particular, my Grandmother Alicia’s sisters and their daughters, my mother’s cousins, who had immigrated years before to the city of New Jersey, in search of a better life. Truthfully, my mother did not need to leave Medellin. She had an exceptional job in the same company that my grandfather worked as a CPA and was well off in life. When my mother left for New Jersey, I stayed behind with my grandparents and uncles, who raised me with love, but knowing that at any moment I will too, depart. Years passed and as with everything, life goes on. I had a typical life of a Colombian girl and spoke with my mother regularly. On those calls, she reminded me that one day I was to go to New Jersey. At the end of the eighties, my mother asked my father a signed permission to leave the

I was four years old when my parents decided to move from Mexico to the United States. We did not travel far from our hometown Mexicali, Baja California to Palm Springs, California, however, I understood the move was harsh on my parents. They had a stable life in Mexico. They were college honor graduates working in their desired work fields, but they did not settle. Instead, they sought more in a foreign country with minimal financial support and understanding of the American lifestyle. I did not realize how powerful my parent’s strength and ambitions for success was until my father lost his job. My dad was not home and would not be for a year. I was fourteen when my dad lost his job which caused him to return to Mexico for employment. Immediately,

A great dream, The American Dream. Or is it? Is my American Dream the same as

Countless people come to America for a better life; this was also the case for my parents. After the Vietnam War, the ruined landscape left them with a choice: either stay in the destroyed country, or start a new life elsewhere. Coming to America was their only option. Imagine traveling on open water in a small boat crammed with as many refugees as possible. There was a cloud of worry constantly looming over their heads when fending off pirates who robbed and raped the Vietnamese refugees. The conditions were nearly impossible to imagine. At the age of 17, I am filling out college applications; when my parents were teenagers, they fled their home country with nothing allowing me to have this opportunity.

American dream, the idea that every US citizen should have the same equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity. Many american dreams are either easy, or hard, depending on your main american dream. Although they may be easy, hard, simple, or complexed they all need the same things to keep it going. The main thing I believe keeps it going is determination to do it. Many don’t know they use determination in every stage of life.

My last name is Matias, it means nothing in college but once I drive those 45 minutes back to Lawrence, Mass it’s significant to every member of the police force. Lawrence, MA is one of the top 10 most dangerous cities in Massachusetts. I was born and raised in Lawrence, and many times I have witnessed situations where the law did not seem to be on the citizens’ side. In addition there are lawyers that are appointed to defend you but are not invested in the outcome. In Lawrence it seems that it’s always your word against the authorities, but your word has no value. Your only hope to beating the system is becoming a part of it and making a difference. My American Dream is to be a defense lawyer for people who live in urban areas. Knowing

When my sister was 19 years old, she was not happy coming to the U.S. My sister wanted to live in my country El Salvador. My mother was not agree at all with her decision, and my sister could not made a choice for herself either. My mother worked so hard, to bring us to a country full of opportunities, and my sister rejected my mother’s offer. My mother did not give her a choice to choose to live in my country because we all were coming to the U.S., so basically she would live for herself and she would not get any help from my mother. My mother made the decision to bring her to U.S. no matter how mad was my sister. My mother new that is was for her own best interests and my sister did not had a choice in the matter.

It was such a surreal moment for my mother but with the help of my father and the great immigrant lawyer everything worked out. She doesn’t have to live in the fear of being questioned about her residency anymore or getting rejected by employment that ask for proof. She never gave up and kept going to provide for her family that consists of 4 people including herself. She decided to go back to working after me and my sister had the right age to assist each other. Till this day she continues to grow at the company she's been working for four years and she's the happiest she has ever felt. Knowing she has done so much for her family back home and her own family here is the biggest gift she has received. She has proven that no matter what race, your income, where you come from, starting from nowhere, having nothing, if you believe you can change yourself for the better of your future you can achieve it as long as you keep trying and never give up. This is something I always try to remind myself. We are all humans trying find the same thing so being illegal or legal doesn’t define

Do you know the struggles and how immigrants feel about leaving their whole life behind in their native country? Well, I should know, since I am an immigrant who has migrated from The Dominican Republic to the United States. A lot of people do not know how difficult it is for people to leave their countries, it has been five years since I came to the United States. The situation was very hard for my family and I. Since I was 2 years old, I have lived with my father, but I have always been really close with my mother. My father and my grandmother decided that moving to the United States would be a great opportunity for me and my siblings. I was excited, but at the same time it was a very difficult decision because I had to leave my mother behind.

My interviewee is a mother of twins who came from Vietnam. Her name is Tran Huang, who was originally born in Qui Nhon, Vietnam in 1976, then her family moved to the capital of Vietnam, Saigon, in 1978. On June 1986, my mother left Vietnam and emigrated to the United States in September of 1986. During my mother’s time in Vietnam, the Vietnam War had ended but the social hierarchy was collapsed and it had left the country in a state of caution. My mother was thirteen years old when she arrived in America. I chose my mother to be interviewed because she had risked her life escaping Vietnam during a time when there was a lot of turmoil in Southeast Asia. If she had not crossed the Pacific and enter into America, I would not be here today and

My mom immigrated to the United States leaving her entire family behind in Vietnam to start a new life with my dad. We had no one to depend on during the times that we needed help or support because all of our relatives were living in Vietnam. Although one of my dad's older brother also lived in the United States, we could

I was two years old when I waved goodbye to the most precious person in my life - my father. Due to some legalization problems, he was deported from America. Seeing my dad leave was very austere for me, but my mom kept consoling me. After that day,my mother would always awaken to me asking: “Is he was home yet?" and she would look at me with tears in her eyes, very afraid to utter “no.” After my brother turned 6 months old, my mom was forced to make an arduous decision: either stay in America to provide my brother and me basic necessities without the love and protection of our dad OR struggle to start a new life in Pakistan with my dad.

With my grandma increasing in age, she came over to America and lived with my parents in 2015 because she has not seen my dad, the second oldest child, since the day he left Vietnam on a second wave boat with six of his other siblings. In addition, my grandma has never met my