Personal Narrative: My American Dream

We got on the plane knowing we would be there for a while. My sister and I were looking out the window in amazement. The sky was so blue it felt like i was looking at a painting. It was so beautiful we had never seen something like this. We stopped at many places. Italy was the highlight for us. Our first view of america was washington DC. I saw my mom's family for the first time in a long time. After a few hours We got back on the

When the plane finally landed in New York, I remember everyone cheering and clapping. We had made it to America. I looked through the window and saw a place completely different than what I had ever known. I immediately started to feel the chilly weather of New York. I had never experienced cold temperature, but I came prepared with a light jacket and sweater for my daughter and me.

When I was at the very innocent age of three, my parents decided to immigrate to the United States from Bolivia. We moved to Pasadena, TX, in hopes of pursuing the American dream. Growing up, my neighborhood was not the best environment to raise a family, however, this environment shaped me into the person I am today. My parents initially made the decision to move because my father got a job offer that was too good to decline. We were promised a house in a nice neighborhood as well as jobs for both of my parents. When we arrived after a 13-hour flight, all of the promises along with our hopes were shattered. We were taken to lower-income apartments in the middle of a sketchy neighborhood. My father’s promised job was on the night shift as a

"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.

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.

It was my first time to the country of my parents’ birth, I was sixteen. I spoke Vietnamese, and yet was a total foreigner. That was good. I wanted to earn my acceptance. Immediately

The American Dream is something U.S. citizens and immigrants look for in America. This ideal is supposed to be the big picture/meaning of America, where anything can be achieved through hard work and perseverance. This motto is something we Americans live by and follow. I feel like the American Dream is it’s own destination; a destination where everyone, regardless of race, color, creed, or sexual orientation, can live peacefully and achieve even the craziest of dreams through hard work. Unfortunately, I feel that the society we live in today is not the American Dream, it’s something a little more divided. People today see a person of different color, race, etc, and judge them based off acts that are committed by past criminals with violent

My mission in life is not merely to survive but to thrive ; & to do so with some passion , some compassion , some humor , and style.” This quote is by one of my favorite authors and people : Maya Angelou. She always influenced me because the way she carried herself and where she came from. From time I heard “ Still I Rise” it reminded me of what type of woman I wanted to be. I always look of to powerful women the independent ones , the go getters. My American Dream is have live in my pursuit of happiness : to graduate from LSU with my PHD , pursue my career as a doctor , and purchase my own condo by age 25. This is my ultimate explanation of my Pursuit of Happiness.

“The American Dream is a term that is often used but also misunderstood. It isn't really about becoming rich or famous. It is about things much simpler and more fundamental than that.”(Marco Rubio). The quote is about how people think the American dream is about becoming rich or famous, but originally about having a nice job and a good house. Too many people think that the American Dream is dead because of what is happening in the world. My dream is about getting a good education and a nice paying job, playing a sport in college, and settling down and having a nice home life.

How do you get to your big American dream? You get help from others or do you? Many young kids or teenagers in Scotland wanted a better life than they had. They had to sell themselves for servitude just to get to America, but did they have to? Many believe you can get by without help from others. They believe that you can do this on your own, but you need help from others. The help from the government is in our everyday lives, so you can’t go rugged or just say you don’t need help. You need help from others like the government

My father played the lottery on a whim, and won. He bet the winnings on applying for an American Visa. The bet paid off. In America we migrated to Silver Spring, MD. Silver Spring was the city where I spent the majority of my childhood from 4 to 13. Now I did not live in revamped downtown Silver Spring, I lived on the outskirts of the city. The part of the city where

I then said my final goodbyes to my brother and grandpa and I was off to the airport. We went through TSA to get our bags and other carry-on items checked before leaving. While waiting in the waiting area, my mom and I explored around the gift shops and mini restaurants we almost go lost but lucky we found our way back. My parents and I then went on Hawaiian Airlines to fly to Honolulu Hawaii. During the flight I mostly slept on the plane, once and a while the flight attendants would bring out drinks like guava, pineapple, orange juice and foods such as Hawaiian macadamia nuts and potato chips. After long hours of waiting I see my first glimpse of an island, it was beautiful full of green trees surrounded by the crystal blue

We were asking people where to go and no one could really understand us because they spoke Spanish. Coy could understand some of it but not all. As we were still asking people where to go another American family was also headed to the airport. They noticed that we were lost and they showed us where it was. It was a nice man, woman, and their 12 year old daughter. We found out where to go and the flight was a bit scary. It felt different than the one before. It was way bumpier than the other one and a little loud. But other than that it was a beautiful

With the sound of my brother and father moving around in a hustle, I waked up from sleep, finding my mom dressing me and putting my socks on. Everything was gone and every surface was cleaned--I could not find even one place that seemed dusty. After about an hour, we caught a taxi and drove off to the airport. All the people in the airport fascinated me, so many people traveling at once. Meanwhile, I hated my first experience in the airplane: the seats were so uncomfortable, my ears really hurtled sometimes, and I was scared because everything seemed to shake. The flight was longer than I thought, but they gave me cards and mini coloring books so I was not really bored. After the long flight, we arrived in Korea, and the restaurants there had a similar taste to my mother’s food. Even though my home country was America, because Korean is my first language and Korean food is what I favor, Korea felt like my home

It was my first time ever riding an aircraft my mom said to chew gum for, my ears so they won't pop. well the first plane I rode was a little smaller than the other aircraft I would ride but it was still fun. Then we reached our next airport this time the plane was a bigger plane and, way nicer than the other one. All the window covers were down the whole flight because it had tv’s built into the seats so I got my headphones and watched movies. My third flight of the day was going to Florida,which was our destination.