Personal Narrative: Building For The Earnest Money

The American dream is something that everyone should believe in, I know I do. Throughout my whole entire life I have wanted to be successful. I believe in myself and know that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. The American dream says that everyone should be treated equal. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Everyone is judged for their height, weight, race, age, likes, dislikes, etc. In the world today you must conform to the social norm to be considered “cool.” Part of me wants to feel that way and the other part of me just wants to be original and do whatever I want. When I was a little girl I used to perform in musical theater. I loved it so much it made me the happiest I have probably ever been in my entire life. Did everybody

The way the story begins is probably the same as others. Obviously you are born and raised somewhere. Well my story began in Worcester Massachusetts. I was born on January 15th, 1995, to wonderful parents who people might think is not your usual mix. My mother is from the Dominican Republic and my father is from Ecuador. Yes, I know, the weirdest mix ever but it brought me into this world, so I'm proud.

"I have run up credit card bills that I didn't know how I would pay off. I recognize when I am engaged in a spending spree, but I often have felt powerless to stop myself. The compulsion to finish the list and to avoid adding other things to the list - by buying them right then - has often been much stronger than the recognition that I didn't have the money to pay for what I was buying" (Spenders Anonymous, n.d.). This excerpt is from the story of a man named Kirk, who is a compulsive buyer. Kirk is not alone; many Americans are controlled by a cycle of working and spending what meager amount they have left to buy luxury items. Sometimes these citizens do not even have the money to pay for what they are buying. Truly, these people are miserable, but the idea that consumerism equals happiness and that they are living free lives is driven into American people since childhood. Consumerism and freedom are key parts of the American dream. The American dream emphasizes hard work and sacrifice, but in return, it promises the possibility of success to everyone, regardless of his or her socioeconomic circumstances. Despite the good intentions behind the ancestral ideal, the American dream has turned into a nightmare.

“American Dream.” Those two words are what drove my parents to escape the challenges of living in poverty stricken Colombia. Being a first generation, young, female, Latina immigrant my upbringing has made me fortunate enough to embrace all of the opportunities available for me.

My mother was born in Tijuana, Mexico and my father was born in Zacatecas, Mexico. My parents worked very hard to come to the United States, looking for the American dream. They are dedicated to their family and want the best for their children. My parents have not stopped working, always trying to arrange their work schedule with my two siblings and I school schedules. They taught us that the only way to go forward is to work, to put all our best efforts in everything we want to accomplish in life. My father always tells me “exhale ganas,” meaning always do your best, to do what you are doing with feeling. Since the day they dropped me off at the college dorms I knew

I was born in the capital of Colombia, Bogota. At the age of six, my family decided we would immigrate to the United States in search of economical stability, a better quality of life and better opportunities of education for my brother and I. My parents were ready to leave their families, jobs, and everything they knew behind. They talked about how wonderful life in the United States would be, and found comfort in the abundance of jobs, good salaries, good schools and opportunities North America would offer our family. I then believed that stepping foot on the US was a guarantee for a wonderful life, the American dream. Unfortunately from the beginning of my journey I realized life is not easy and mature immensely in the ongoing process of achieving the American dream.

I am a young 19 year old hispanic female trying to live the american dream. I was born in Michoacan, Mexico. I came to the United States when i was about one year old, so I was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah with my older sister and my brother. After along came my little sister. My parents are both hispanic, they both never made it to high school, they dropped out in elementry. My parents both came to the United States to live the american dream which I believe was pretty hard for them at first because as I was growing up I had a disability. I fell when I was coming to america,which left me unable to walk. I was bullied throughout elementary and jr high but had a bad past in high school because of my disability.

My “American Dream” wasn’t exactly my American Dream so I’m gonna make up some stuff. The way I will achieve my American Dream is to kinda try in school, just enough to pass it at least, and I will help out my community by doing things around in my area which is almost nothing because I live in the middle of nowhere. In school I will need to finish my English work and complete all of my aows. In Algebra I will have to try really hard because math is super important in life but math is extremely hard and and is dumb but you have to have it.

Some people view the outside world as a dangerous place full of disparity and misery, others like to embrace that unknown and try to use it as a catalyst for inner growth. I like to see myself as the latter, the individual who lives for the rush of the unknown. I looked down to see what I could only describe as a dream come true. It was a ticket for a six month tour around Asia that would lead to the complete immersion of native culture and tradition- Vietnamese Pho, the mountain folk of Nepal, the Muay Thai martial arts of Thailand, Chinese Architecture and the beaches of Laos are some of the places that we got to experience first-hand. As a participant I was expected to live with 15 other individuals from around the world that I had never

Anyone who has the desire to live in the Unites States of America knows that it is the greatest nation among all nations. People either have little knowledge of other countries to believe this general notion or have truly seen and been informed of the opportunal prosperity that exists in the spirit of America. The American Dream is the idea that sets the minds of people determined to be part of a great nation because everyone has the equal opportunity to become successful and prosperous, if you work hard enough to achieve it. The American Dream is the reason why so many people come to the United States in search for better economic and liberty opportunities. What causes frustration and discouragement to enter this nation is the fact that the

America has been a beacon for people searching for a better life because America has a lot of opportunities for a better job payment. America also has a better environment for people to be successful. The American dream is to pursue happiness and to be confident in what you do. A famous example is Marther Luther king when people were talking down to him specifically white people. But he came successfully. Then a white man shot him in the chest. Someone in my life that is living their own version of The American Dream was my uncle Jose Dasilva. My uncles Americans Dream is to be successful and to have people working for him while he sits comfortably. My American Dream is to never go broke and has my own sneaker business but that's if I am not in the NFL or the NBA.

For many immigrants they come to America for one purpose, achieving the “American Dream.” The American Dream’s definition varies from person to person, the definition in the dictionary states, “a happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful”. Unfortunately, not everybody achieves their goals as many are stuck working low wage jobs, or in poverty despite working harder than other Americans. On the other hand, people who immigrated here are successful, owning a house, having a well-paying job, and being able to send money to their families. Overall, achieving American Dream of being wealthy and successful is a combination of luck, connections, and hardwork. For my assignment, I interviewed my neighbor, asking her about her experience in America.

Back in 2001 I migrated here in the United States from the Philippines. I lived in San Francisco for a bit then moved to Las Vegas. I thought living here in the United States would make us rich, but I was wrong.

What I wanted on summer vacation made me end with a heavy debt on my shoulders. The debt that I haven?t paid off yet to my dad. Buying the PC was a good idea, but I messed it up myself. Last school holiday I had the bright idea to buy a PC, PCs are strong, easy to use, and reliable. I am a guy who wants to experience all fields of gaming, when some people like calm and relaxing games. Others might like driving, sports, strategy games, or some action. For me, I try all types of games, so to do that I have to get myself a PC, and what?s cheaper than building one yourself (at least what it?s normally like).

Opportunity costs mean a person decides to complete something but all other opportunities are put on hold or lose the utmost attention. My opportunity costs associated with Bethel’s online program include not having to find babysitters for my daughter, I am also able to work and go to school without having to adjust one schedule in order to make another one work, also I get to continue with my regular household work daily. If I would have chosen to go into the traditional classroom then it would have cost me gas because the closest school is about twenty away. Even though most Bethel classes are one day a week, I am a store manager and must be available to my store often. I do not have to pay a daycare or a babysitter to watch my seven and