Personal Narrative: My First Coming To The US

“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.

Coming to AmericaThe year was 1948, and my grandmothers aunt and uncle came for a visit from Chicago to Germany to see their family. They had no children and had come to ask my grandmother if she would be interested in coming to Chicago to possibly live there w ith them. The idea of going appealed to her very much since her home city, Saarbrcken, was still partially destroyed from the WWII bombings. She always had the wanderlust in her blood coming from both sides of her family, so thinking about the towering skyscrapers, the bustling city streets, and the glamorous movies from America was quite enticing to my grandmother. With all off these wondrous thoughts swimming through her head, she enthusiastically agreed to go.Now, it was time to prepare

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.

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.

I have to say, that my life now, is fairly cushy. I don’t have to worry about to many things: I own my own car, I pay my rent on time, I have a decent job. A lot of what I have now, I owe to my grandparents. They chose to immigrate into the United States from Mexico so that my Mom would have a chance at a good life.

That day at the airport, I thought about a lot of things while we wait for the plane to take off. Moving to the United States with my sister was a huge turning point for me on so many levels. It meant that I will need to learn a new language and adapt to a new culture. It meant that I will leave my aunt and uncle who have raised me for the past eleven years. It meant that I will live with my mom and see my dad and stepdad for the very first time. My emotion was mixed with excitement, fear, and hesitation.

When we are reading a book, if we always read the same easy book that we read since we are the kindergartens, we wouldn’t learn new things. We would just read the same ten page over and over again, without knowing anything new. Although I was born in another country, the United States is the place I feel like home. When I came here (five years ago), I was a kind of a person, who has no perseverance or determination at all, and I was so negative, plus, I thought that I was the best in the world (which is not true). But all of that started to change suddenly when I get to know more about this country. Therefore, in here, I learned lots of new lessons, especially the lessons about life. So now, I am a persistent person, I believed, who won’t give

When I came to America for the first time, I was very rebellious, and I did not uphold the wisdom of making myself a better person. There I was, looking into the world having no idea what would be in store for me. But I always had a spirit for knowledge and curiosity.

When you hear me speak, you’d never guess that I’ve lived anywhere accept the United States. However, my current accent wasn’t always the case. My older sister and I have had the privilege of moving every couple years since we were born due to my mother’s job. Her job has taken us to countries far as England, Finland and France but also as close as California, Nevada, Maryland and finally and most loved, Kentucky. On August 8th, 2000, I was born to Susan and Bill Macke in Wellington Florida. By my first birthday, we were in the process of moving to Birmingham, England. And that’s where my global adventure began. My childhood was that of a European instead of an American child. We were fortunate enough to be able to take the train to Rome or

I am Patt Ryan, an eighteen year old farmer who came to america with a life saving of $3.56. I came with my brother Matt Ryan, a seventeen year old farmer with the life savings of $1.35. We came to America because we wanted to find a better way of life. We also came to find religious freedom. We knew that we would be able to find this in America. My brother and I could not wait to see what America had in store for us. My brother Matt and I sailed to America on the very full Alexina boat. It was a poorly built, crowded boat filled with diseases and short of food. As a result, many of us Irish immigrants got a disease and many others died before we even got to America. My brother and I were one of the lucky ones to stay fairly healthy. Others

When I first came to United State I was afraid to talk, I was scared that people will judge my accent and my word choice.I wasn’t enough to speak until the second year of middle school. After I realized that I needed to step out from my zone, the first step that I chose overcome was to speak with my teachers. I tried to ask questions, told them the story of the book that I read to practice my speaking skill and it helped me a lot. But even though I got comfortable with my speaking, I still could not make friends because I could not understand the conversation that my classmate had, I don’t understand what is popular in this place and what is not. I tried to search it but It didn’t help because It is not appealing to me and have no idea how

It was cold November afternoon when I dragged myself out of the plane and took my first step on the American soil. Moving to America was my greatest adventure and my biggest fear. Having never traveled to a foreign country before I was intrigued about the culture, religion and style of living, It was an exciting experience for me, yet at the same time, I was terrified. I was curious to learn about the culture and the country itself which I heard in abundance on television. What will it be like? Will I be able to fit in the American lifestyle? Will I be able to make friends? The questions were unanswered until I had to experience it on my own.

I think I am talking to the right person. I came to U.S in 1995 March. Because that was my first journey my cousin looked for someone I can travel with and found a person he knew flying to U.S in that same day. I think I travel with you from Trivandrum to Bombay and then from Bombay to JFK, someone was also going to Canada with you on that flight. I am not sure it’s you.

Without my story of what you can so call my parents “journey” to the United States I would not be the individual I am today. My family sacrificed many things in order to give me a better future, but with this journey came many obstacles. Obstacles that have completely shaped my identity. I can always trace back the question of “Who am I?” with their journey to the United States.