Personal Narrative: My American Dream

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.

On a bright sunny Tuesday, September 11th, 2001, started off as an ordinary day where Americans were out working to achieve their ambitious goal called the “ American Dream”. I decided to grab a coffee to start off my day. As I walked by a street vendor, he nicely asked: “ It’s a beautiful day huh?”. I smiled and answered, “ Yes it is sir”. “ What are you up to today? Are you in a rush?” he followed. I answered, “I’m just on my way to grab a coffee and get some fresh air”. He waved as we finished our conversation and I continued towards Starbucks.

The North American lifestyle allows for many citizens to have unique experiences. While all have the freedom to travel, those with the time and resources to do so are able to take part in experiences exclusive to select areas of the world. In taking part in these opportunities, perceptions formed through the family bond and the knowledge and views developed through education are potentially advanced or challenged by experiencing other cultures and traditions. It has been shown that people in North America and wealthier parts of the world take more things for granted in life. However, when introduced to various worldwide experiences, many of the same individuals understand other cultures and recognize hardships in order to appreciate how fortunate they are. By taking these facts into consideration, it is clear how perceptions are shaped through different experiences.

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

The way the story begins is probably the same as others. Obviously you are born and raised somewhere. Well my story began in Worcester Massachusetts. I was born on January 15th, 1995, to wonderful parents who people might think is not your usual mix. My mother is from the Dominican Republic and my father is from Ecuador. Yes, I know, the weirdest mix ever but it brought me into this world, so I'm proud.

"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.

One day I was sitting in English class doing my work. Then a flying whale flew into the wall and destroyed it. It flew over to me and swallowed me whole. It then just flew back to the ocean. While in the whale's stomach I saw some interesting things like a dead person, a needle with steroids in it, a few soccer balls, a rabbit, and a roll of duct tape. After I had been in the whale's stomach for about 3 hours, it started to shake violently. Then something was squeezing the life out of the whale. All of the sudden i was flying through the air along with everything else. I landed on some sort of island.

Thanks to my upbringing in Hawaii and growing up in an international missionary community, I have expanded my worldview. I have interact with the travelers and the missionaries from every country of the world. I have listened to the stories of the bombing of Pearl Harbor from a Hawaiian, American, and a Japanese. I have been molded in a priceless learning environment that teaches me new things every day.

An american story is a story revolving around his or her lifestyle, culture and everyday habits. This is about past experiences, accomplishments, and biggest downfalls. I will be discussing not only my biggest accomplishments, but also my biggest failures that I have occurred in life. What will my american story be? Keep reading to find out.

Los angles is one of the cities where people try to achieve the “American dream”. Even though the “American Dream” is different from people to people. To me, Los Angeles means a new beginning…my new beginning. I have moved to Los angles in search of success in education and life, to prove to myself that I can be independent.

At times it is easy to forget that I am American since both English and American cultures have several overlapping characteristics. However, I become aware of my identity whenever education or politics comes up in conversation. These are topics that prior knowledge is essential in understanding the flow of conversation. There were several instances with fellow front of house volunteers deciding schools, courses, and revising. They would talk about different universities and how they loathed revising their coursework. In my mind, I would be at lost regarding the university and its location. Furthermore, I struggled with understanding why they would have so many “essays” to revise. Lastly, I become extremely aware of my American identity when

The feeling of wandering and wondering about exploration grows more every time that my family visits somewhere new. I realize that there is so much more to see of this world, and there is only so much I can do as a sixteen year old to make that happen. I have tried to immerse myself in classes that can help me purse my passion, but my school is so rural that they don’t have any international classes or clubs besides a Spanish class, which I am taking already. I have always been so fascinated by the cultures and the languages of the world, but here I do not have the chance to chase

In my esoteric journey to figure out who I am and what my purpose is, I have noticed that I am naturally inclined to trying new things. As a young boy, I enjoyed eating exotic foods such as escargot and sushi. Then as I grew older, I began to become interested in things such as foreign films and foreign shows. Though I was able to experience a taste of each culture, I always had a deep desire to undergo an exhaustive interaction with different cultures. These clues in my life have lead me to believe that my next step is to fully immerse myself in other cultures. Instead of looking within, I must observe the world around me in order to exhume the depths of my soul. In our current political climate, I believe that it is even more necessary to immerse myself in the beautiful, complex cultures of other countries so that I can become more informed about the world. The Student Diplomacy is a wonderful chance to travel to another country and experience the traditions of its inhabitants. It is a gateway to life-changing knowledge. I would like to be a part of this

I loved living in Wyoming, the town was rich, it was safe, and we could get good food easily. Unlike, some other countries, the U.S. was in a food shortage, and Wyoming was the perfect place to make the food, and leave all their junk. I am 12 years old and some say that I am a little wild, maybe I’m a little influenced by Tyler, my best friend. His dad is the general of the U.S. army (we don't talk about it much). I live with my mom, my dad, my dog, and no siblings ,but I don’t mind. My parents have some tough times, but I know it will always be fine, and Tyler is always very supportive of what I do. It was September 17th, 2076, and this is where our story begins. Whack!

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.