I was born in Shumen, a small town in Northeastern Bulgaria. When I was five years old my family decided to move to Istanbul, Turkey so that my father, a Turkish citizen who had been battling with cancer for a couple of years then, could get better treatment there. One year later, in 2004 my father passed away and my mother decided that we should return to Bulgaria as we had no means of support in Turkey. Since then I have been living in my home town, even though almost every summer I revisit Istanbul where my father is buried.
My birth took place in Mar del Plata, Argentina, into a family of six including myself. Years passed, my mother gave birth to a girl and was pregnant soon after to another. My father, a strong laboring mechanic decided that it was time he moved his three boys and soon to be three girls from the home he literally built with his bare hands alone, to another country with grander opportunities, not for himself, but for his six children. He decided that with the money that cost him years of tireless work and stress he could only afford passage for himself. He set off for the United States and for months he worked day in and day out, any job he could get his hands on. He paid for our flight and had a modest, dainty apartment awaiting our arrival.
Can you imagine what it is like leaving your home, family, friends, school, and everything you are related to? Moving from your native country to a new one is a very tough process, specially when you are fourteen years old and you are starting your teenage life. I still remember when my parents began to talk about Panama City and I did not understand why they talked about it so much. They constantly asked me what would I do if we move to Panama, and my answer was always the same ``I will never leave my country.´´
My family and I in 2008 moved from Trinidad and Tobago to America. We were all so excited to move to a new country. We heard about all the fun experiences and great opportunities that America had to offer. I must admit that I had mixed emotions about moving to a new country. On one hand, I was exactly happy because I was going to have an opportunity to go college and presume my dream of being a childhood teacher or child psychologist. On the other hand, I was sad because I was leaving all my Tobago friends and family
I was born 23 years ago in the Dominican Republic, an island located in the Greater Antilles. There is a saying from my country that goes "Mi tiera mi corazon" meaning my country my love, which explain exactly how I felt about the Dominican Republic. To me the Island of Santo Domingo is the greatest in the World; there are beautiful people, gorgeous weather and all the mangoes I could have eaten. Then one day my parents gave me the bad news, they were moving to this place called New York, they told my brother and me that they would send for us later. That was 12 years ago and now here I am living in New York, the greatest city in the world, next to my Santo Domingo. When I was younger New York seemed as big as
My mother gave me this book to write in before I left my entire family behind in Chiapas, Mexico. She told me not to be afraid and to write whenever I am feeling upset, anxious, or angry. I haven’t wanted to write this stuff down, but I do not want to say it out loud either. I moved to America last year to stay with my aunt, uncle, and cousins in Brooklyn, New York; I was twelve then and perhaps very naive about what my life would be like in America. I didn’t know any English, but my parents told me that coming to America would help me become smarter. Better even. Unfortunately, America is not what I thought it would be and in recent times, the President is even threatening to make us leave. In Mexico, I felt that I had such an amazing life, where I was able to run around and be free. But here, I am stuck between four walls in a small one bed-room apartment. In the land of opportunity, I feel that I have none.
On September 24, 2010, an airplane carried me to the ground of another country, to another dialect, new culture, new places, new habits, new challenges, new people and all in all, new life. I won't describe for you a lot about how hard it was to say farewell to all my relative and my friends, because I think you can picture yourself what would it feel like to leave everybody you know in your own country and move to America. When you leave your adolescence home — the place where you grew up, your local area or your country of residence or your homeland or anyway you feel to call it — you leave a piece of you behind. Before I came here in America, I thought that I would be in Hollywood, cozy house, bunches of tall structures, however to my mistake
Transitions are a part of life. Most people their first big move is going to college after high school. Mine was gliding over the Pacific Ocean at the age of three to New Zealand. When most people think of this country, they think of The Lord of the Rings, an abundance of sheep, or even, “that one island close to Australia”. To me, though, New Zealand was my home. After nine years, I would be leaving everything I knew and I would be moving to America. However, my life did not start in New Zealand. I was born in Fairfax Hospital, Virginia, and for the first three years of my life, I lived in America. I don’t remember much about the house we lived in, but I do remember walks to the park and my black Labrador: Pepper. We had to leave her behind when we moved to New Zealand in 2000 because strict bio-security laws would require her to be quarantined. She was left behind. I left many more memories behind in New Zealand when I moved back to America in 2009. Things like
Every individual have moments that changes their lives. It can be a big moment or a small moment, just depends on how each individual sees it. As for me, I wasn’t born in America; I was born in Vietnam. For nine years of my life, I did not know where America is and what is America. Not until I migrated here, to America, to live with my father because he wants me and my brother to have a better and a brighter future. Vietnam and America are totally different from each other. Vietnam is a very poor country; where as America is a country of luxury. When I first moved to America, I was overwhelmed by everything; the environment, the community, and the language. Everything is unfamiliar to me and somehow I have to adapt with those unfamiliar things.
I couldn’t believe the day had come, I was moving to America! For me, this was going to be a whole new experience and a life-changing event. Truth be told, I did not know what to expect, and on what is going to happen next.
The pilot said, “Ready for take off!” I was dreading those words and the day in which I had to leave everything behind. How could I leave Colombia? My house? My family? My friends? My whole life?
Many people who move to American, immigrate because it’s their last option. Some people flee to escape war, or poverty. My dad’s situation on the other hand, was more of a mental decision. I interviewed my father, Mariusz Kukielko for this project because I admire his intentions and courage he had when he was forced to make this big decision. I have always know he was an immigrant, because I was myself about three years old when we moved, but I was too young to recall anything. The interview took place in my living room.
I moved to America from Albania when I was little. English was not my first language so, I had to learn it by practicing my fellow classmates' example. I was a part of HILT, High-Intensity Language Training, in elementary school to help my language barriers. Before middle school began, teachers thought I no longer needed HILT. It was because I had worked hard to get be in the same place most other students were in. In high school, I found things I was passionate about. In my sophomore year, I joined Future Business Leaders of America and became joined the mentor
I hope your doing well, I am and I love being a refugee. I’ve been so shaped being a refugee, like when we moved to Switzerland. When we moved to Switzerland I was so excited and when we meet Vreneli and Franz I had so much fun. Meeting them and staying at Gasthof Zwirn it really made me feel adventurous and happy. It also made me feel a lot closer to our family. Then when we moved to France, however the family start to drift a little. Mama and Papa were always fighting and I had a really hard time learning french. When I was really struggling to get french to click, Mama took me out for cake and told me that I would understand how to speak french soon. Mama was right soon after french clicked and it made me feel smart and closer with Mama.
I was born in Istanbul, Turkey I came here at the age of 8. I left family and friends behind. When I went back 13 years later, I met up with my friends, it was like I had never left we connected like before even though we had little arguments of perspectives view of the world, our personalities remained the same. I think our personalities are set when we are kids that when we grow up we are harvesting it with people, discovering who we are as we live and communicate with different people; we find out who we are in
We all stared into space like there was no where we would fit in again