Personal Narrative: Growing Up In America

Studying in a foreign country is an interesting experience of an individual lifetime. One tends to learn a number of things relating to ways of life in a foreign land. Social, political and economic values and aspects are usually different from one region to another. Therefore, through studying abroad one is able to learn different issues about another society such as gender and sexuality issues, social class and race/ethnicity issues. Having come from a developing country studying in the U.S.A has been a great experience personally. This paper will attempt to provide a reflection of my personal experience on studying in the U.S by comparing the history of Angola and the U.S.

Growing up in Ghana, I had heard a lot of things about the U.S. This was a country I had always wanted to visit; my prayer was answered when I got the opportunity to travel there. Arriving in a new environment came with many experiences. Adjusting with food, language and the weather was not easy. With the passage of time, however I have been able to0 adjust and fit it. This write-up therefore is to elaborate on my experiences since coming to U.S.

I didn’t believe in aliens until I was abducted by them. I was put in some kind of contraption and I’m not sure what happened exactly, but it’s clear that I’m not where I was. Everything in 2016 is different, I don’t know if I’m in a different state or not but people are dressing differently and acting differently, and the cars, the cars are all different! I’ve been here for quite some time now and have noticed a lot of differences from where I lived in Oceanside, California in 1940. I’ve been transported to the year 2016 and there are so many things that have changed and evolved and among them are political, economic, social, and cultural changes.

Ever since I was a kid, my parents always talk about the hardship they went through to get here. From a house with ten siblings, no electricity, and barely any food, my dad manage to escape poverty and support his family by pursuing his passion in electronics. With his passion, he went to high school without an elementary education and barley passed. Afterwards he went directly into the workforce and continue to educate himself until how he is today.

Johnnie, Veronica, Frank et al. do me a solid with all your “knowledge” and “wokeness” step outside your educational privilege and support systems for a minute. I in no place in my post said anything about America being perfect so what you did was hijack a status about the solidarity I feel for the people in my life and in this country who very much will struggle with an intensified troubling life experience in the country to PROVE you have some kind of exceptional wokeness or understanding of America. MISS me with it. No America was not safe for everyone but we just did was extend the people who it was unsafe for. If that’s cool with you then carry on with your bullshit. I have NEVER EVER said it’s a safe place for everyone. I have NEVER

Growing up in America, I have always been surrounded by many cultures and different ethnic groups. Many of those cultures differ from my own traditionally. For the first half of my life, I was raised in detroit, a predominantly black city - I had always assumed. My family eventually moved out of Detroit and we moved to Inkster. Inkster was a much smaller city, but it was also a predominantly black city. In 2011, my family moved from Inkster, Michigan to Canton, Michigan. Although the two cities are less than a half hour apart - the cultural and ethnic groups are extremely diverse. While attending my freshman year of high school in Canton I realized, I was a minority there. More than half of the student body, more than half of the community

Walking, walking, and more walking. Today is the day that we begin traveling to Fiume to board a steamship to this place called America. My family doesn't have a lot of money so we can't afford a ride to the port. I only have one pair of shoes and they have many holes in them. We've walked for what seems like an eternity or at least to me. Today is very bittersweet. We're leaving the only place I've ever called home to live in a place we've never seen before. IM not ready to leave. I love Italy but I know it is no longer safe for me, my mom, and my dad. I'm only six years old but I'm old enough to know this could be all a lie. What if America isn't so amazing? What if we done make it? What if we get sent back? So many questions and not

Living in America has its ups and downs. The different culture and people is what makes America to me. Every day I learn something new while I go to school in America. Personally, as the days go back I carless about humanity and more about myself and how to improve myself. Money has become a major need for me recently and I don’t believe in love anymore. Sometime I just sit and think what kind of person I be like if I keep living in America. I’m happy I can here for school, I don’t think I would know this must about life. And as the days pass by I learn so much more about myself that it makes me question if I ever knew anything to begin with. Unfortunately, I still wonder what life would have been like if I did my college education in Nigeria.

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’s gift to my generation is freedom. Freedom is the right to do what one wants, lives where he/she wants, eat what they want, and choose the religion in which he or she believes in without ignoring or harming other people’s rights. Freedom is an important gift. Freedom allows schools, buildings, and public places to have many types of people; gays, lesbians, Asians, African Americans, girls, and boys. Back when Martin Luther King Jr was alive, their schools were segregated; meaning Caucasian people couldn’t go to school with African Americans. Some of my best friends are not the same race or religion as me. Well I, had the gift of freedom to choose my friends. I have one best friend since the second grade who isn’t the same race or religion

“Where are you from?” has been the defining question of my life, mainly because I do not have an answer for it. Growing up, this question brought me anxiety and frustration, and constantly being the new kid meant that I had to answer it frequently. I learned to assess the situation to see what answer was most appropriate. “I am from America” worked when talking to locals or non-American classmates; “I am from Colorado” was used for Americans who wanted more detail; “I’ve moved around a lot” was saved for people who expressed genuine interest, but I gave my truest answer the least even though it meant the most: “A lot of places.”

The United States of America; this name strikes thoughts into people’s heads. Some are thoughts filled with happiness and pride, others are filled with hate. When I hear the phrase “The United States of America, I have many different thoughts. First, I think of the wonderful freedom paid for by the soldiers who risk their lives every day to keep us safe. I also remember my great-grandpa, who was a soldier in the Korean War, driving a tank. Second, I think about this election. This election has created big schism in our country with people at each other’s throats. Furthermore, there are many other events that have split our country. Some of these include opinions on gun laws, racial injustice, the fight for women's equality, etc. These issues

It is great to wake up every morning knowing my life is entirely up to me. We live in the great United States of America. Being an American means I have so many rights and doors are opened up to opportunities other countries do not have. America has given me the right to choose whatever education and profession I want.

I’m an international student from China majored in Fine art. I came to Arizona State University last year on August. This is my first time go abroad alone and I knew that there are many challenge I will face. However, whatever how hard to get into a new culture environment, I will follow my heart to make my dream come true.

When I left my hometown in Hungary to live with my dad in America, a lot of things were different for me. The language was different, the people were different, the culture was different, and the schools were different. I don’t think it took long for me to adjust to living here, the duration of my summer was me figuring out how different things were here and going along with it.