Personal Narrative: I Am An American

I am Canadian I am Canadian! I live in a house not an igloo. I drive a car not a dog sled or ski doo.

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.

First few weeks of school did not go well for me. I felt like I was a rare animal at the zoo. People would point at me, speaking the language that I do not understand, and giggle. A non-stop talking kid suddenly became mute. At the time,

I felt that I could relate myself to the pilgrim she saw in her vision. I came to this country for the freedom of worship, to appreciate diversity, and to have opportunities to utilize my talents without being discriminated.

To be an American means you have rights and responsibilities. I believe so many other people in different countries don’t have these rights or responsibilities. In the article “What is the American Dream” there was a quote, “That dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each to ability and achievement.” (Anonymous paragraph one) This means that the American dream should be better, richer and fuller for all Americans. Other people in different countries don't have these opportunities because in these countries they’re restricted. Rosenfeld’s article on “The American Dream suggests that Americans have

The very first conversation I had with the one closest to me was an argument. I will never forget it. We were talking about our goals and ambitions in life. When I told him what I wanted to do, I just got the average “Good for you! That’s so great!” response. When he told me that after graduation he was shipping out to Army basic training to become an Airborne Combat Engineer, I didn't give the same response back.

I am the second oldest of seven children and grew up in a middle class home. My father is Puerto Rican and Dominican and has worked hard to provide my siblings and I with everthing we need. I lived in New England, but moved to Minnesota on my tenth birthday. My parents taught me at a young age to search for my meaning and purpose in life and to use the gifts God has given me not only for my own success, but to service others. My gift of strength quickly made way for world records and winning world championships in powerlifting. I was also a long distance runner but after tearing both meniscuses and requiring surgery I decided to focus more on lifting and throwing. I am an All-American in both the shot put and discus. I am a captain on the track

I was born in Glendale, Wisconsin, I lived there for 6 years, me and my family were living in a really quiet neighborhood, I didn’t have friends from that neighborhood, that's where I got my shyness, I didn't go out with anyone only with my family, as a child, I never thought about going out and having fun, in another word I didn't care, my family would always try and take us places, that is why me and my parents are so close, I tell them everything, I never hide anything from them, when I'm annoyed and need someone to talk to I will always go and talk to my mother or father.

I was raised in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. I am an U.S. Citizen, and I was born in Fort Myers, Florida, but my whole life I lived in Mexico. I was raised with my two brothers in my grandparents’ house, because my mom was a single mom, and always worked hard to bring money for all of us. My neighborhood was one of the worst, or that is why people said. I never felt in any kind of danger living there, because I knew almost all the neighbors, and also I never like going out to much. My community was not always very unified, because everyone were on their own issues, but every time someone pass out or any inconvenience happened, everyone were there. That was the good thing of my surroundings.

Years before I found a home in my mother’s swollen belly, my identity had already been conceived by both violence and beauty—two emotions which made love on the war-torn pages of immigrant stories collected on my parents’ spines. As a child, the contents of these stories transported me back to our native Afghanistan, where Soviet bombs converted my mother and father from citizens to refugees—strangers on their own soil. Running my fingers through the pages, I felt the blisters on my father’s hands and verses from the Quran on my mother’s lips as they pieced together the fragments of our home and restored a new life for me and my siblings in the United States. Years later in what was the beginning of a lifelong struggle with my identity, I closed

Attempting to maintain an education while simultaneously being aware at the fact that my birth giver, my mother, is not a legal American citizen hindered my mentality and work ethic ever since I entered high school. I reminisce about waking up in the morning and faintly hearing my mother grieving in hopes of being able to obtain an American citizenship. I reminisce about being with my mother and praying with for the slightest aspiration of conceiving an American citizenship.

Am from American background. I have amazing family orientation which have a great value. My family does have an influence on an individual’s values and expectation. My patents shape who I am today because they are my role models. When I am growing I have an extremely strong work ethic. When I’m working on a project, I don’t want just to completing my ahead of time. My weakness is to wait until the last minute to set appointments at work. I always find it difficult to prioritize me self. Time management is a very big challenging with my school work.

The last day of summer vacation, I said goodbye to my mother and my cute three-year-old little sister, then left for the capital of china––Beijing. At that time, when I left my hometown, a small quiet beautiful city lied in the south of China, I did not feel very sad or any sense of reluctance to part from my mother. (But after living in US for just two weeks, I miss her very much.) And I didn’t feel very excited, either. It’s maybe a little strange, but it was true. My Father took me to Beijing Capital International Airport and waited until I have to board. I kept looking back at him when I went to the boarding gate, seeing him waving hands to me all the time.

The average American is expected to move 11.4 times in their life. In my lifetime I’ve moved three times. I was born in Ohio, moved to Texas, moved to South Carolina, and finally back to Ohio. The first two times I was still rather young, so it didn’t effect me as much. Even while I was young I was kind and didn’t bother hiding myself.