My pulse suddenly dropped as soon as my parents told me the big news. For a little girl to transition after moving to a different country can be very difficult, especially when you are completely unknown to the language. Although it might seem like a necessity for an individual to fit in, it’s not; do not be afraid to be yourself. I was born in a country made up of 7,000 islands, which is also known as the Philippines. As a child, it was very difficult for me to fit in in other groups, so moving to the United States made me a little scared. It was also exhilarating at the same time. Moving to the United States was like moving to a different planet because everything was so different from the Philippines. I remember stepping out of the airport being in awe of the weather and the surroundings. “It’s gonna be different this time” I thought to myself as I was getting in the car. …show more content…
Going to a new school for me was nerve wracking because I did not know how to speak the language, but I did understand it. Surprisingly, I made a friend on my first day. I remember going home with a huge smile on my face because I did not know that I would make a friend that easily. A few weeks passed, and I was friends with everyone in my class. For the first time in forever I didn’t feel like an outcast. Few weeks down the line, I could not be myself around them, so I started feeling like an outsider again. I suppressed my feelings, and just went along with them. When school was finally over, my parents told me that we were moving back to the Philippine, but my mom was going to stay in America to look for a stable job. Suppression played a big role in my life. I remember the day when I had to leave my mom behind at the airport, and not leaving with tears down my face because I refused to show weakness. Leaving my mother behind was the hardest thing to
The steps I took in overcoming this transition began with accepting the reality that America is my new home. I realized that I had to walk away the "Filipino bubble" I had built for myself
Growing up different wasn’t always easy for me. My dad, Anthony Smigelski Jr., worked as an active duty officer in the Coast Guard and my mom, Claudia Smigelski, worked as a registered nurse. In 1976 it was illegal to perform an abortion in New Orleans, Louisiana so my parents, who were unsuccessful having their own children, moved to Louisiana in hopes they would have a better change to adopt a baby. On April 2, 1976 they got their wish; I was delivered to their home in Gretna, LA when I was only 10 days old. It wasn’t long after my parents got me that my father was transferred to Governor’s Island, NY when I was two years old.
When 6th grade came, I transferred into a Baltimore City Public School since I really wasn’t getting the education I needed at the private school. It was still rough not fitting it. I thought that becoming like the other kids would make me happy, but I was learning new things everyday and I realized in high school that being the outcast is better than being like everyone else. The journey I dealt with in high school was very emotionally tough and life changing.
It was a cold winter day. There was fresh snow on the ground as I walked out of the Philadelphia International Airport. I had lived in Fiji for the past nine years with only one or two short trips back to the U.S. in summer months to visit family. Everything in America seemed different from my previous home. The air smelled cleaner then in Fiji where the streets were filled with diesel busses that puffed out clouds of noxious fumes.
The entire school had maybe one hundred people. There were only four girls in my entire grade and twenty kids total. Switching from a school that small to a public school with one hundred people just in my grade was a huge adjustment. It was incredibly intimidating at first, however,
This topic is truly interesting and exciting topic, especially for the one who considers himself as a person who is already so much different than anybody else. Why? There aren’t many high schoolers who have just emigrated to the States like me. I have not seen that many students who have just emigrated from their country. There are myriad of difficulties that people like me have to encounter and have to go through.
Parents have an enormous influence on the way their child acts, thinks and is perceived by others, and if there is anyone who is doubtful of this- I am walking proof. The two people who raised me have molded me into the person that I am and will be. From a young age, children become aware of seemingly little things that stay with them whether they like it or not. In my case, I wondered about how my parents could not attend my concerts like all my friends’ parents could, or how they were not able to help me with my homework. I was always jealous of others who did not have these thoughts stuck in their head- just as the thought of a stalled task clings to the mind, only coming forth when it starts to be forgotten.
Traveling to a different country takes a lot of preparations. From knowing what to bring to figuring out what attractions you wanna see, to understanding their language and learning their culture. Each country has a its very own lifestyle that you need to adjust to. I traveled to Istanbul, Turkey with my family from July 27th until August 1st during summer break. It took approximately 10 hours by plane from Toronto.
Written Essay I migrated to the United States of America on January 16, 1970, along with my wonderful parents and amazing siblings: four boys and my baby sister. I remember that it was a cold winter night, it had snowed and this was all new for me. Although, I was already missing my beloved country, El Salvador, friends, and childhood memories, I knew that I would easily adjust to our new country because I was fortunate to have my family by my side. I vividly recall how I said to Dad as we were heading from the airport to our new home, “Dad this country is so beautiful.” When he heard this, he and mom had a wonderful smile on their face as they knew that all their sacrifices had been worthwhile.
I never realized the world was so much bigger than the United States. As far as I was concerned, other countries existed only through news media, books, and movies. In December 2011, my parents talked to my sister and I about moving; we were shocked and full of questions of what to expect. Thirty days was the all the time we had to get our lake home, farm, and passports ready before our departure to China. My family and I were moving to 7,500 miles away and had no idea when we would return to the United States.
Moving 2200 miles away from everything and everyone you’ve ever known on your first day of being an adult is terrifying. I stepped foot in New York hopeful, but terrified. I never expected to miss my family as much as I did. For my first week,
Being a U.S. Citizen, I have taken the luxuries of life here for granted. Clean water, food, shelter, and free education are a few of the advantages I obtained. It has been a pleasure to have these opportunities, and I did not realize that there are people in this world who do not obtain these essential necessities in life. After I complete my education, I not only intend to give back to my local community, but I also want to serve those dying from poverty in my home country.
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. ”—Proverbs 22:6 Parenting may be chosen as one of the most difficult homework for many parents. This homework may feel twice more heavier and difficult for parents that just immigrated to the U.S. due to culture and language barrier.
At that time, I was a very shy and introverted child. So I was excited but also afraid of making new friends in new place because I wasn’t good at talking with people that I meet for the first time. During the entrance ceremony of elementary school, I was literally about to cry because of full of new faces. (I was also a crybaby at that time.)
Three years ago something happened to me which changed my life. In 2012 I was living in France , in the country in a small village of about 260 people. I was not really hanging out with my friends because they were all living far away from me. I used to go to a boarding school where we were only 300 students, the girls and the boys were separate, any electronic things were prohibited ( phone , ipod , computer … ) , the lights were shut down around ten pm. During our free periods we had to study and do our homework.