Personal Narrative: Moving From New York To California

Moving to the states was a huge deal for me, since I have lived in Germany for 12 years. When my dad told me we were moving, I ran upstairs to my room and immediately called my friend Sina to tell her about it. This news broke my heart because I would have to leave my friends and not see them for a while. It was very difficult to leave my friends, but after a few months I got used to it. “Party in the U.S.A.” makes me think about being scared of people judging me and to just go with what others are doing.

Just recently, I found out I was moving to another state. Knowing I have to leave everything behind was awful. I was halfway through eighth grade, starting the second semester, and I was doing great. My grades were all A’s and I was happy there with all my friends, Amber, Marianna, and Makayla. Our house was decent, my sister and I both had our own rooms anything I would ever wish for. My dad had been promoted to another job, where he was going to get paid more than what he was currently earning. It was an amazing opportunity for my family. I was glad for my dad, but I still felt bad for myself.

I was born on October 23rd, 1999 very early in the morning the very first person to carry me was my dad. When I two years old me and my mom moved to Las Vegas, and lived there for about 6 years then soon move back to California. That was in early the early 2000’s when that happened . Few years past by then my sister was born June 23rd, 2005. I was staying with my cousin at the time until she was born then I went to see my sister on the day she was born.

“Something that I never had in life, something that you have but are taking for granted, I won't stand for it.” Game controller in hand, I gulped hard, with sweat rolling down my head. My eyes pointed directly downward, not daring to look up as my mother gave “the talk.” My mother’s words echo in my head. Having lost her father during high school, she was denied her right to higher education. She married at a young age, moved to America, and gave birth to me. The first born, the carrier of the American Dream. We were what one would expect from an immigrant Indian family; working hard, valuing education, and hoping for a better tomorrow. As my parents worked hard to sustain our family, I strived to excel in school, motivated by their hardship.

Growing up in Puerto Rico, my biological father was in and out of jail for failing to obey the court rules. As a result, my mother became my mom and dad. Although I had to experience that, I was a straight A student all throughout elementary school.

Growing up as a military brat wasn't easy, there were many places we had to go to and we didn't have a choice. One of those places was here ,Illinois, and I was ten when we made the move here.This move was probably the hardest thing I have ever physically gone through considering all of my mom and I's stuff was lost in the ocean because the place we moved from was Hawaii.So, when we got here me and mom both didn't have our stuff but the rest of my family did.To make matters worse my dad was being shipped out to South Korea and we didn't have a house. For a whole year we were homeless,we put what was left of our stuff into storage and moved in with grandma. As terrible as that year was, it taught me a lot about what some people actually live

My life in my perspective has been extraordinary. I have been fortunate enough to travel the United States and live in various parts as well. Each environment that I have been exposed to have differed from one another. The environments in which I was raised changes When my father received his orders. then my family and I have to move to another region of the United States. with these experiences, I have been well-rounded to accommodate to my new and unfamiliar surroundings. throughout my life, I've been privileged to see the world through my own eyes instead of reading about it end books and watching it on television. for example, Honolulu, Hawaii 2 people who have never been the entire island is a resort. but in all actuality the island experiences poverty. without me having to move every so often I wouldn't have known that but the experience of knowing that there are a big world out there very productive gains.

The first time I’ve met my parents was when I was five. When they approached me at the airport, I did not know who they were. When I found out that they were my parents, I did not know how to react — I was excited, but also scared. Standing in front of me were two people whom I listened to the voices of for the past five years and spoke casually with on the phone, but meeting them in person was a whole different story.

The environment in which i was raised on was a pretty and calm back then. I came from a not rich or medium class but a low class. That place was that i was raised where i came from is mexico matamoros tamaulipas not a really good or great place now but where i lived was the best place ever. lived there all my childhood until i was six. My parents wanted a better future for me a better education a better life for me so we moved to the united states. I still had my both parents and in still do except at that time we had bad economic situations. My dad had to head up north and look for a job in florida i didn’t want him to go especially because it would be hard for me not being able to see him. Sometimes i wouldn’t see my dad for a year or two

Growing up in a small town near the border of Arizona, I had always displayed an interest in seeing the world–the different cities and sceneries. But at the same time, I felt at home in Arizona. I breathed for the desert air, the grinched-colored cacti, and the occasional roadrunners. Imagine my surprise when I found out, shortly after my parents split, I was moving to New York City.

Have you ever thought that you would move to a completely new place and start everything from scratch? There are thousands and thousands of people moving from place to place for better opportunities, education as well as careers. There are lots of struggles that come along the road. It will be an individual’s self-motivation and encouragement that will push them forward in his or her life. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” (Lao, Tzu) and my new journey had started when I landed and started schooling here in United States. Moving to the United States and attending school here was a challenge I wasn’t sure up to, but hard work and determination, I was able to make friends and be successful.

Three months ago I was studying my last moments of high school in Mexico. I had already planned the university I was going to and the major I wanted to course. Everything was happening really fast when my father told my mother and I that he had a job opportunity in the United States. He didn't wish to force us to go with him, although we did accept to leave because both of us consider that the most valuable thing in this world is family.

I stepped out of the dark secluded room and into the bright sunlight. My eyes stung from the burning sunlight. I hadn’t seen the sunlight in ages. I had to go into hiding for months. The Nazi’s were searching everywhere for us. I wouldn’t let myself be captured. I had to trek on and flee from Germany. My family had made it to America and I owed it to them to make it there too.

Sometimes I can still smell the multiplicity of aromas that inhabited the first nine years of my life the erotic spices, the faint smell of motor oil. I can hear the sounds of the crowded streets of Mumbai the sounds of music and horns honking. My family and I are from Mumbai, India where my mother and father owned several small cell phone stores, and repair shops. A few of my earliest memories were going there as a child to help my father with the different task, and cleaning around our shops.

Sitting in the cab, on the way from JFK, I caught my first glimpse of Manhattan. I had been calm the entire flight, in fact, I had been excited to come to New York. But sitting alone in that yellow cab made me think of everything that could go wrong in my first year. I imagined myself as a friendless failure, someone who just sat in his room all day, too afraid to embrace the city outside. But it never happened. And in less than a year, New York become like a second home. I began to feel utterly comfortable wandering its streets in the middle of the night, desperately searching for an ice-cream shop that was still open. I felt like I belonged. And so, when I returned this fall, there was no sense of apprehension at all – I felt completely normal.